NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that the pace at which Russia has ramped up its defense industry during the conflict with Ukraine has exceeded Western expectations.
A study published by consulting firm Bain & Company last month revealed that Moscow is producing artillery shells at a rate more than three times that of all NATO members combined.
Commenting on this information in an interview with Sky News on June 3, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “It is true that Russia has been able to build up their defense industry faster than we thought. It is true that NATO allies have taken longer than they should have to increase production.”
He explained that the reason Western countries are lagging behind is that “after the Cold War, the West really started to rebuild its defense industry.”
However, according to Stoltenberg, the situation is currently improving as “all NATO allies are increasing their capacity to produce ammunition and weapons.”
“There have been delays and shortcomings in delivering weapons to Kiev in recent months, but this is actually changing, and the amount of ammunition going into Ukraine has increased in recent weeks,” he said.
He emphasized that Russia’s recent advances in Kharkov, northeastern Ukraine, show that NATO needs to step up its support for Kiev. Stoltenberg asserted that this support will continue even if former US President Donald Trump is re-elected in November because it benefits both Europe and the US.
Trump has long been skeptical about providing weapons aid to Ukraine. He believes that the US should stop aiding Ukraine or provide aid in the form of loans, and that Europe should also share the burden.
