Rubio urges NATO to commit to increasing defence production

Washington (ANTARA) - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged NATO member states to commit to significantly increasing defence production capacity. Previously, Rubio said that NATO members were not yet prepared to produce ammunition in the quantities required in the future. “In my meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, I stressed that the alliance must clearly commit at the upcoming Ankara Summit to immediately boost defence production,” Rubio said on X. According to Rubio, NATO members need to widen the transatlantic industrial base and convert defence spending commitments into real warfighting capability. He also stressed that a strong Europe will make NATO stronger. On 1 April, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was seriously considering withdrawing the United States from NATO after several allies refused to join the US-Israel war against Iran. Trump said Europe could no longer be relied upon as a defence partner after European countries refused his request to send warships along the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, on 9 April, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said some alliance members were ‘a little slow’ in backing the US military campaign against Iran because they had not been notified in advance by Trump. However, Rutte added that nearly all the allies had now provided the support Washington sought.