The NATO secretary general called on Europeans in an interview with the German press on Saturday to increase their defense production to increase supplies to Ukraine and prevent a confrontation with Moscow “that could last decades.”
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Less than a week before the meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on February 15-16, Jens Stoltenberg stressed: “We need to rebuild and develop our industrial base more quickly in order to increase deliveries to Ukraine and replenish our own stocks.”
“This means that we have to move from slow production in times of peace to fast production in times of conflict,” Stoltenberg told German Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
“There is no immediate military threat against any (NATO) ally. At the same time, the Kremlin regularly makes threats against NATO countries,” Stoltenberg noted.
He stressed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago showed that “peace in Europe cannot be taken for granted” and stressed the importance of protecting the alliance's countries.
“As long as we invest in our security and remain united, we will continue to deter aggression,” he said.
“NATO is not seeking war with Russia, but we must prepare for a confrontation that could last decades,” he warned.