Russia outpaces NATO in ammunition production, Rutte warns

Russia now produces in three months what NATO countries collectively manufacture in a year, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech at Chatham House in London.

“The capabilities of Putin’s war machine are speeding up, not slowing down,” Rutte warned. “Russia is rebuilding its forces using Chinese technology and producing more weapons faster than we expected.”

According to Rutte, Russia is expanding its military capacity with support from China, Iran, and North Korea. This year, it is expected to produce 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles.

“Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years,” he said. “Let’s not kid ourselves. We are all on the eastern flank now.”

He emphasized that new Russian missiles move at supersonic speeds, reducing the time between European capitals to just minutes. “There is no longer east or west—there is just NATO,” Rutte added.

Asked whether a ceasefire in Ukraine might give Russia time to stockpile more weapons and increase the threat to NATO, Rutte replied: “That’s a statement of fact.”

He said that while the war in Ukraine continues, Russia is still managing to slightly grow its stockpiles—though how much is debatable.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led many European countries to raise defense spending after decades of post–Cold War disarmament.

The urgency has grown as the U.S. signals a possible reduction in its military presence in Europe, with President Donald Trump prioritizing the Asia-Pacific region.

Ukrainian intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko recently warned that Russia could replenish its forces within two to four years of the war's end, enabling renewed aggression against Europe.

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