NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday stressed the need to increase defense production across the alliance, warning that higher production is essential to maintain credible defense in an increasingly volatile global security environment.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Prague alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Rutte said NATO faces a range of threats, including "an aggressive Russia, a resolute China, a threatening North Korea and a dangerous Iran."

“In a more dangerous world, allies took historic decisions at the NATO Summit in The Hague last year to invest more in defense… Increasing defense spending is essential,” he said.

"We need to produce more to maintain our level of prevention," Rutte added.

Rutte welcomed the Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine, saying it is progressing and delivering tangible results.

More than 4 million rounds of ammunition have already arrived in Ukraine under the initiative, he noted, calling on allies to continue financial support.

Babis said the Czech Republic is committed to fulfilling its NATO obligations despite ongoing debates over how defense spending is calculated in relation to GDP.

He added that Prague is preparing a new defense strategy, with a focus on modern warfare capabilities, including drones, reflecting lessons learned from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

"As we can see, not only in Ukraine, but also in Iran, the war these days is mainly about drones," Babis said.

The Czech leader added that Rutte told him that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend a meeting of foreign ministers in Sweden on May 21-22, calling it an "important" meeting.

Earlier on Thursday, Rutte also held talks in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, focusing on NATO-EU cooperation, including increasing defense industrial production and maintaining support for Ukraine.

"A stronger Europe means a stronger NATO," Rutte wrote on the American social media platform X after the meeting.