NATO is stronger than Russia, but we have certain gaps – Stoltenberg

Stoltenberg commented on NATO's military capabilities/Collage 24 Channel

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance is stronger than Russia. However, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine highlighted many shortcomings that they are now trying to correct.

Jens Stoltenberg said this at a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference . He added that more needs to be done for defense.

Gaps in NATO

Jens Stoltenberg noted that the North Atlantic Alliance is “the strongest military power in the world,” accounting for about half of all military power. But it also has certain disadvantages.

And militarily we are stronger than Russia. And at the same time, I believe that the war in Ukraine showed that we have certain quite serious gaps,” Stoltenberg explained.

He noted that, in particular, it is a matter of maintaining equipment in combat condition. In addition, NATO has advanced weapons systems, but they require spare parts, maintenance and ammunition. Stoltenberg noted that at the beginning of a full-scale war, the stocks of weapons that were transferred to help Ukraine were exhausted – however, work is underway to correct these shortcomings.

Therefore We are now working hard to increase production. There is good news: new factories are being created, production is increasing, he emphasized.

NATO Secretary General noted that this is not enough – there is an urgent need to do more.

NATO actions against the backdrop of war

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects that this year the number of Alliance member states that will spend 2% of GDP on defense will increase to 18. Compared with 2014, this number has increased sixfold – a record. The alliance's European allies will invest $380 billion in defense in 2024.
• German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the country was continuing to build a brigade to protect NATO's eastern flank from potential aggression from Russia. This brigade may already be ready for combat by 2027 and will be stationed in Lithuania.
• The Secretary General of the Alliance noted that NATO countries plan to supply Ukraine with a million drones. The UK, together with Latvia, will lead a large drone coalition for Ukraine. In addition, another 20 countries have agreed to create an Explosive Ordnance Demining Coalition.