NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that the military alliance is outproducing Russia in ammunition, citing the establishment of new production lines and record-high output “in decades.” Rutte made the remarks during a speech at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on Thursday, where he highlighted member states’ commitment to raising defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. He argued that this target remains insufficient to address what he reiterated as the Russian “threat.”

Moscow has consistently denied plans to attack NATO members, dismissing such claims as “nonsense” and attributing them to Western efforts to justify increased military spending. Rutte asserted that NATO is now surpassing Russia in ammunition production, noting that “until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies combined – but not anymore.” He emphasized that allies are opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones, achieving “more than we have done in decades,” while urging further advancements in air defense and drone interception.

Rutte previously claimed Russia held an edge in the ammunition race, stating as recently as July that Moscow produced three times more shells in three months than NATO did in a year. Meanwhile, Russia has significantly increased defense spending since the Ukraine conflict escalated. President Vladimir Putin reported a sharp rise in arms production, with some weapon outputs growing nearly thirtyfold. In late June, Putin revealed a 13.5 trillion rubles ($151 billion) defense budget – approximately 6.3% of GDP – acknowledging its impact on inflation but comparing it to historical Western spending during conflicts like the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Moscow has criticized what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization,” insisting that military aid to Ukraine cannot alter the conflict’s trajectory and only prolongs unnecessary violence.