NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called for higher defence production during a two day visit to Germany. He attended the opening of a new Rheinmetall artillery plant and later addressed a conference of German parliamentary groups in Wuerzburg.
Rutte said defence companies in Europe and North America needed to expand production as NATO members increased military spending. He described Germany's industrial capacity and higher defence investment as important to the Alliance's plans.
The Secretary General also thanked Germany for its military support for Ukraine. NATO said Germany was the second largest provider of military aid to Ukraine after the United States at the time of the visit.