NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told CBS that the alliance countries produce as much ammunition annually as Russia produces in three months.
According to Rutte, with a defense spending threshold of two percent of GDP, NATO will not be able to defend itself in the next three to five years.
Earlier, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, American General Christopher Cavoli, said that Russia is capable of producing up to 250 thousand artillery shells per month. According to him, the country is creating reserves and is three times ahead of the United States and Europe in this regard. He stressed that Russia can produce about 1,500 tanks a year, while the United States produces only 135 tanks over the same period.
Rutte also said that Russia will remain a threat to NATO for a long time and will be considered as such even after the end of the Ukrainian conflict, noting that it would be naive to assume otherwise.
He acknowledged that Russia would not accept a scenario in which it would have to leave the captured regions in Ukraine and called on NATO countries to confront Russia in the Arctic in the context of the US administration's claims to Greenland.
US President Donald Trump remains faithful to the principle of NATO's collective defense, Rutte said in an interview with Agence France-Presse.
"Trump is not abandoning Article 5 of the NATO Charter on collective defense. He is committed to NATO," he said Rutte.
According to him, the issue of the US leaving NATO is not on the agenda. This is only about shifting the focus of their attention to the Asian region, but the US military presence in Europe, including nuclear, will remain, Rutte noted.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US would remain a member of NATO, and the country's activities within the military bloc remain as active. He noted that he intends to require each NATO member state “to commit to increasing defense spending to five percent of GDP“.
Rutte explained that there is still no program for the upcoming summit in The Hague and therefore he cannot confirm the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in it.
According to him, the North Atlantic Alliance has not yet decided whether to invite Zelensky to the event in the Netherlands.
“We don't have any details about the summit yet, so more on that later“, he said.
The upcoming NATO summit is expected to be a turning point in relations with Russia after their “freezing“ after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.
A review of the US military presence in Europe will help end the conflict in Ukraine, reports the British publication UnHerd.
The media notes that if US President Donald Trump and his entourage are serious about achieving a quick ceasefire, the best option may be to tie the cessation of hostilities by Russia to a reduction in the number of US troops on the NATO front line.
At the same time, threats to increase military assistance to Kiev will not work, as they will not be able to force Russia to change its position and will not contribute to the conclusion of a lasting peace.