THE HAGUE, November 6. /TASS/. Russia can purchase more weapons than European NATO countries for the same amount of money, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, comparing Russia’s and the West’s military spending.
"The purchasing power of money there (in the Russian economy – TASS) is much higher than ours. This has to do with how their economy is structured. They can buy more with the same amount of money," he said in an interview with Dutch broadcaster NPO 1. Against this backdrop, Rutte said it was necessary to discuss with European automakers what military products they could manufacture at their facilities.
According to the NATO chief, Western countries have managed to increase ammunition production sixfold over the past few years, but manufacturing more sophisticated equipment, including fighter jets and tanks, takes time. In this regard, he acknowledged that European NATO members would continue to depend on US assistance for their own defense over the next decade.