Rutte urges defense companies to produce more weapons at lower prices — Reuters

Rutte said some NATO countries are turning to South Korean manufacturers because “our companies are not producing the weapons we need.”

NATO chief Mark Rutte today sharply criticized defense companies that are part of the U.S.-led alliance, saying they produce too little, set prices too high and deliver too slowly, even as NATO seeks to support Ukraine and strengthen its defense capabilities against Russia. Rutte also said the current target of 2% of economic output would not be enough to deter future attacks, Reuters reported.

Rutte did not say whether he believed 3% should be the new target, as Trump has insisted. But he added that NATO should not only spend more on defense, but also benefit more from it.

“We are not producing enough, at too high a price, and deliveries are too slow, so the defense industry needs to work more shifts and needs to set up more production lines,” — Rutte said.

Rutte also believes that “we cannot allow a situation where we simply pay more for the same thing and see large payouts to shareholders.”