NATO Chief Calls to Boost Arms Production | Farsnews Agency

By providing support to Ukraine most NATO member states have significantly depleted their own weapons stockpiles, the military alliance’s secretary general acknowledged. Jens Stoltenberg urged the defense industry to help replenish the thinned-out armories.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, the official lauded the “unprecedented unity in the support to Ukraine” on the part of member states. However, this kind of defense aid for Kiev has until now been “taken from our existing stocks, so they are now running low,” Stoltenberg warned.

He added that one of the alliance’s priorities was to “replenish those stocks”.

“Therefore, one of the main focuses in NATO is to work with the defense industry to ramp up production,” the organization’s chief explained.

Stoltenberg said that additional ammunition and weapons would help maintain the current level of support to Ukraine while ensuring that states still have “deterrence and defense" tools at their disposal.

According to the official, the issue will be high on the agenda of the alliance’s defense ministers meeting in October.