Melike Pala
16 April 2026•Update: 16 April 2026
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday stressed the need to boost defense production across the alliance, warning that higher output is essential to maintain credible deterrence in an increasingly volatile global security environment.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Prague alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Rutte said NATO faces a convergence of threats, including "an aggressive Russia, an assertive China, a threatening North Korea and a dangerous Iran."
"In a more dangerous world, allies took historic decisions at the NATO Summit in the Hague last year to invest more in defense... Increasing defense spending is essential," he said.
"We need to produce more to maintain our deterrence level," Rutte added.
Rutte welcomed the Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine, saying it is progressing and delivering tangible results.
More than 4 million rounds of ammunition have already reached Ukraine under the initiative, he noted, urging allies to sustain financial support.
Babis said the Czech Republic is committed to meeting NATO obligations despite ongoing debates over how defense spending is calculated relative to GDP.
He added that Prague is preparing a new defense strategy, with a focus on modern warfare capabilities, including drones, reflecting lessons learned from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
"As we can see, not only Ukraine, but also Iran, war is mostly about drones these days," Babis said.
The Czech leader added that Rutte told him that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend a foreign ministers' meeting in Sweden on 21–22 May, calling it an "important" gathering.
Earlier on Thursday, Rutte also held talks in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, focusing on NATO-EU cooperation, including boosting defense industrial production and maintaining support for Ukraine.
"A stronger Europe means a stronger NATO," Rutte wrote on US social media platform X after the meeting.
