Mark Rutte says alliance produces munitions faster than Russia

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that the alliance's countries have managed to "turn the tide" on munitions production and increase their output. He said this during a speech at a NATO forum in Bucharest.

We already have the best of the best... But we need more and fast. That means more production and shorter delivery times. We have already turned the tide on munitions. Until recently, Russia produced more munitions than all NATO allies combined. But not anymore. Across the alliance, we are opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones. We are doing more than we have been doing for decades," Rutte emphasised.

The NATO Secretary General also appealed to arms manufacturers - both large companies and small start-ups - to submit their ideas and use NATO as a testing ground.

While leaders are taking political risks, the industry is being asked to take certain business risks. When you think about your shareholders, this may alert you. You wait for governments to sign long-term contracts. That's sometimes the right thing to do. But I can tell you: when it comes to big investments in our defence, the political will is there. The money is there, the demand is there. And our security depends on it," Rutte stated.

He added that all the weapons that are produced will be bought back.