NATO Secretary General Warns of Risk of Running Out of Ammunition and Spare Parts for Heavy Weapons

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the media on Monday 13 February 2023 ahead of the two-day meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels.^[0] The gathering of defense ministers is set to focus on strengthening the Alliance’s deterrence and defense, and backing Ukraine.^[1] Stoltenberg noted the urgency of delivering key capabilities to Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield, stressing that “we see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace. What we see is the opposite, he is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks.”^[2]

The Secretary General warned that the West risks running out of ammunition and spare parts for heavy weapons, due to the Ukrainian army’s high rate of ammunition expenditure. He added that the defense ministers will also look at ways to increase defense industrial capacity and replenish stockpiles.

Despite incurring heavy losses, Russia is suspected to be escalating its assault on Ukraine in the lead-up to the one-year anniversary of its incursion. Officials in Ukraine allege that Russia is planning to launch an expansive offensive in the eastern Donbas areas as well as launching assaults on Kharkiv in the northeast and Zaporizhzhia in the southeast of the nation.

NATO is in a race for logistics, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, stressing that “key capabilities like ammunition, fuel and spare parts must reach Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield. Speed will save lives.”^[3] He also emphasized that “it is in the interests of all nations that Ukraine continues to receive this aid”.^[4]

For months, there has been a focus on the Ukrainian-held city of Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk province as Russia has been attempting to surround it. The forces of Moscow are laying siege to the city of Bakhmut, a stronghold of Ukraine located in the eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials are warning that Russia is plotting a much broader offensive on the eastern Donbas regions, as well as fresh attacks on Kharkiv in the northeast and Zaporizhzhia in the country’s south-east.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the West risks running out of ammunition and spare parts for heavy weapons. He stressed that the defense ministers will look at ways to increase defense industrial capacity and replenish stockpiles.

0. “Stoltenberg: NATO allies may send warplanes to Ukraine so that country can defend itself” Ukrinform, 13 Feb. 2023, https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3669599-stoltenberg-nato-allies-may-send-warplanes-to-ukraine-so-that-country-can-defend-itself.html

1. “Major Russian Offensive Is Under Way in Ukraine, NATO Says” The Wall Street Journal, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/major-russian-offensive-is-under-way-in-ukraine-nato-says-6309cf7e

2. “West risks running out of ammunition, warns Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg” The Times, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/west-must-stock-up-as-putin-prepares-for-more-war-nato-chief-warns-gnfqb976d

3. “NATO Admits Munitions Race Against Russia as Putin Spring Initiative Begins” Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/nato-munitions-race-against-russia-ukraine-1780865

4. “Defense Ministers to Address NATO's ‘Race for Logistics'” Department of Defense, 13 Feb. 2023, https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3296681/defense-ministers-to-address-natos-race-for-logistics/