Prime Minister Andrej Plenković participated, together with Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden, in a meeting of the Trilateral Commission for Europe in Vienna, which was attended by a number of representatives from North America, Europe and Asia. After the panel, Prime Ministers Plenković and Frieden spoke by phone with President Zelenskyy about the peace plan for Ukraine.
At the closing panel of the three-day conference, the two prime ministers spoke about the future of Europe and how they, as leaders, see the fundamental challenges in terms of security, energy, competitiveness, negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the enlargement of the European Union, Plenković reported in a statement for the media.
“In this, but also in the context of the credibility of the entire European Union, we are a strong advocate of the enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans, especially neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine and Moldova,” the prime minister said on the X platform.
Croatia has positioned itself as a regional energy hub
He stated that, in addition to preserving the single market and achieving greater competitiveness of the EU through green transition and innovation, it is crucial to strengthen the European security architecture through investments in the defense industry and the energy security of Europe, which must not be dependent on Russian gas.
“Croatia strengthened its energy independence with strategic investments in the LNG terminal in Krk and positioned itself as a regional energy hub,” he emphasized.
Plenković and Frieden talked with Zelenskyy about the peace plan for Ukraine
In his statement, Plenković said that at the meeting they also touched on one of the most important topics at the moment, the American plan for Ukraine. He and Luxembourg Prime Minister Frieden spoke with President Zelenskyy to hear Ukraine’s position, especially ahead of tomorrow’s European Union-African Union summit.
He also said that European Council meeting will been convened, and European leaders will discuss the topic of the peace plan.
The Prime Minister considers that the problematic part of that document is that Ukraine should leave its three regions – Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea – to Russia.
“This segment is essentially the most demanding for Ukraine because it is contrary to the Ukrainian constitution and directly violates the principle of territorial integrity,” he said.
He added that talks are currently underway in Geneva between the United States, Ukraine and several European countries to discuss what to do with the peace plan in order to modify it and make it better than the one prepared.
“We remain firmly committed to supporting Ukraine at this sensitive moment and reaffirm our commitment to a just and lasting peace,” Plenković said on the X platform after his talks with Zelenskyy.