Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković explained the country’s position on security guarantees for Ukraine and warned Kyiv against de jure recognition of Russia’s control over the occupied territories. He spoke at a joint press conference with the Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte, who was visiting Croatia.
Croatia’s Position on Security Guarantees for Ukraine
“The problem is that Russia wants to sign an agreement first and then stop the fighting, but the Coalition of the Willing has proposed first a ceasefire as the first step, and then an agreement as the next”
– Plenković
He stressed that Croatia’s experience shows that Ukraine should never de jure renounce an occupied territory. This is an extremely important topic, because such a position may be not only a reward for the aggressor but also a serious concession that will be hard to defend in the future.
“Ukraine should never de jure renounce an occupied territory. This is a very important topic because it would be a reward for the aggressor or a concession that cannot be defended domestically”
– Plenković
Plenković also noted that Russia seeks to «reestablish relations with the United States», while Ukraine in this context acts as a tool to achieve that goal. At the same time, Moscow aims to lift sanctions and rehabilitate its standing on the international stage.
Regarding Croatia’s participation in security guarantees he noted that the country’s troops will not be deployed, but Croatia is looking for ways to help Ukraine – both in political support and in the energy sector.
Plenković reminded that Croatia is already providing Ukraine with certain energy technologies to help restore infrastructure after rocket and other attacks.
“Today we talked about our contribution to Ukraine – a friendly country, a victim of Russian aggression. Over the past several years, the Croatian government has provided 15 packages of military aid, the latest of which was approved at last week’s government meeting. We also contributed to Ukraine’s Priority List of Needs, so-called PURL, which NATO controls and coordinates for the purchase of weapons produced only in the United States”
– Plenković
According to Plenković, Ukraine defends not only its own freedom, but also democracy and the freedom of Europe, and it is precisely because of this that the consequences of Russian aggression have become evident to the entire continent.
“Ukraine defends not only its own freedom, it defends democracy and the freedom of Europe, and that is why the consequences of Russian aggression have become more than obvious for the entire continent”
– Plenković
Plenković emphasized that the world and Europe are currently facing serious challenges: a global threat, ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, and problems with upholding international law.
Regarding defense, Croatia noted that in 2025 defense spending accounted for 2.78% of GDP, exceeding the Ministry of Defense’s planned budget and amounting to about 1.9 billion euros; the share of modernization expenditures stood at 34% against the minimum requirement of 20%. Modern weapon systems were also purchased, including Caesar and Leopard, and the country used new SAFE financial instruments, turning to about 1.7 billion euros to finance defense spending in the coming years.
While negotiations on security guarantees were ongoing, Croatia reaffirmed its readiness to support Ukraine, including through participation in programs and initiatives aimed at strengthening defense capabilities and energy stability.
In the context of the so-called PURL program, partner countries jointly fund purchases of American-made equipment for faster delivery to Ukraine according to priorities set by the NATO coordination mechanism. This enables quicker access to critically important weapons and equipment to strengthen Ukraine’s defense.