NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in Germany on 27 August that Europe can now produce six times more artillery shells annually than two years ago, with output expected to reach 2 million rounds by the end of this year.

Rutte spoke at the opening of Rheinmetall’s artillery plant in Unterluess, described as Europe’s largest such facility. He said the German defence manufacturer accounts for a significant share of the increase, with the factory planning to produce 350,000 shells a year. He added that allied countries should now prioritise boosting tanks, air defence systems, and missiles, drawing on recent shell-production experience and Ukraine’s innovative industrial mobilisation.

The announcement comes amid a wider European drive to reinforce defence industries to improve security and support Ukraine against Russian aggression. Europe’s defence sector has faced criticism since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with production bottlenecks delaying deliveries of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv. In a recent large-scale missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, at least eight people were killed, including a 14-year-old, and 45 were injured; homes, offices, and schools were damaged, and several children were hospitalised.

Calls for higher defence spending intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January. At the NATO summit in The Hague in June, the first of his second term, allies agreed to raise the spending target from 2% to 5% of GDP, with military aid to Ukraine potentially counting toward the goal. Separately, the EU launched its ReArm Europe programme to mobilise an extra 650 billion euros ($750 billion) and provide 150 billion euros ($170 billion) in defence-related loans.

(Source: Kyiv Independent)