Current level of ammunition use by Ukraine is many times higher than production level of NATO countries, - Stoltenberg
NATO allies intend to ramp up industrial production of weapons and ammunition to replenish their own arsenals devastated by Russia’s war against Ukraine, and to help Ukraine in the future.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference before the two-day meeting of defense ministers of the Alliance countries, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.
"Ministers will consider measures to strengthen deterrence and defense... I expect the Allies to adopt new directives for NATO's defense planning. This will be a key driver for changes in our capabilities and will ensure robust deterrence and defense for years to come. Ministers will also consider how to increase our defense industrial capabilities and replenish weapons stockpiles," the head of the Alliance said.
"The war in Ukraine ... is devastating the arsenals of allies. Ukraine's current level of munitions use is many times higher than our production level. This is putting pressure on our defense industry. For example, the wait for large-caliber ammunition has increased from 12 to 26 months. Orders placed today will be delivered in just two and a half years. So we have to increase production and invest in its industrial capacity," Stoltenberg added.
He noted that NATO has just completed a stockpile review of ammunition and intends to increase it as part of the defense planning process. The good news is that several allies, including the US and France, have already signed new multi-year contracts with the defense industry, allowing for targeted investment in increased production capacity.
"I hope to achieve rapid progress in this work. This will allow us to help Ukraine and at the same time ensure the protection of every inch of the Alliance's territory," the NATO Secretary General emphasized. Source:
https://censor.net/en/n3399568
NATO allies will be able to be party to agreements on security guarantees for Ukraine, - Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg does not rule out that after Ukraine’s victory in the war waged against it by Russia, the alliance’s allies will be able to be a party to agreements on providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
He expressed this opinion on Monday in Brussels at a press conference, answering a relevant question from journalists, Censor.NET informs with reference to "Interfax-Ukraine".
"Will there be any international guarantees? It could be some sort of agreement in which allies also participate. I won't speculate how exactly they (guarantees. - Ed.) might be formulated, but I say that any agreements where NATO allies will be able to provide any guarantees to Ukraine, absolutely possible, and this can be part of a general solution for Ukraine to protect against further Russian attacks," Stoltenberg said.
The NATO Secretary General is also convinced that "before securing the future of Ukraine, we must help them win this war."
"And that's the main focus of what we're doing...That's condition number one. The second main focus should be that when this war ends, we have to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself. What we saw after 2014, when Ukraine was unable to withstand the second attack - (after. - Ed.) Russia illegally annexed Crimea, then in a few months they came to the east.And this war has been going on for years before a full-scale invasion. Now we need to strengthen Ukraine, with our support, training, long-term transformation, the transition of the armament of the Ukrainian armed forces from Soviet-era models to modern NATO models, so that Ukraine can resist further aggression. This is most important in order to secure the future of Ukraine, so that they have strong armed forces after a kind of peace agreement is reached after the war to prevent a third major attack on Ukraine," Stoltenberg detailed. Source:
https://censor.net/en/n3399576