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Stand Together in Sovereignty
Published 2 months, 1 week ago
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Since joining the Alliance in 2009, Croatia has been a valued member of NATO. It contributes significantly to our collective security – not only on our eastern flank and in the Western Balkans, but across the entire Alliance.
Just before the holidays, I met Croatian troops in Poland, as part of NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Bemowo Piskie. It was inspiring to meet so many servicemen and women spending Christmas away from their families – standing watch, keeping us all safe.
Croatia also contributes personnel to our Forward Land Forces in Bulgaria and Hungary.
And I welcome your efforts to modernise the capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces, and the way Croatia’s defence industry indeed is stepping up – particularly in driving innovation in the field of uncrewed systems. I am looking forward to the meeting, and you already announced it, this afternoon, with representatives from the defence industry. And I was really impressed this morning to see how you have revamped Croatia’s Air Force in just a couple of years.
You are already spending more than 2% of GDP on defence, and are working to reach the 5% benchmark by 2035, as all Allies agreed at the Summit in The Hague.
I also welcome that, as of the 1st of January this year, the Croatian Air Force officially assumed full responsibility for protecting Croatian airspace.
Croatia is also making good on the commitment Allies made to sustain our unwavering support for Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Croatia has been a strong and reliable supporter of Ukraine.
In addition to your recent 15 million euro contribution to indeed, you already mentioned it, the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List – PURL – Croatia has provided now over 300 million euros in military aid since 2022.
You have supplied helicopters, transport aircraft, artillery systems, ammunition, protective equipment, and much more.
Russia’s brutal war of aggression continues. And we saw just last week, the use of the Oreshnik missile on Lviv and continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. Russia is trying to deter us from supporting Ukraine, but we will not be deterred.
As Ukraine faces immense pressure during the harsh winter, your support, and support of all NATO Allies, is more important than ever.
Ukraine’s security is our security.
And under your leadership, Prime Minister Plenković, Croatia has truly been a vital partner to our Ukrainian friends.
Croatia also plays an important role in sustaining stability in the Western Balkans. You are a longstanding contributor to KFOR, with more than 150 troops on the ground in Kosovo.
The Western Balkans remain high on NATO’s agenda, and our commitment to the region’s stability is steadfast. With your support, we will not allow a security vacuum to emerge, and NATO will continue to strengthen political dialogue and practical cooperation across the region.
Prime Minister Plenković, dear Andrej,
Thank you for your warm hospitality, and again, for Croatia’s steadfast support to our Alliance, and everything we collectively stand for. Thank you.
https://bit.ly/NATOhomepage
SECURITY COUNCIL I want to flag that our esteemed colleagues in the Security Council Branch released online the 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice. The Highlights Paper features insights into the work of the Security Council in 2025, particularly regarding meetings and other activities (including missions to the field) the agenda items and topics dealt with, decision-making and the work of its subsidiary bodies. It’s a fantastic trove of date for all of you Security Council afficionados!
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, and
Just before the holidays, I met Croatian troops in Poland, as part of NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Bemowo Piskie. It was inspiring to meet so many servicemen and women spending Christmas away from their families – standing watch, keeping us all safe.
Croatia also contributes personnel to our Forward Land Forces in Bulgaria and Hungary.
And I welcome your efforts to modernise the capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces, and the way Croatia’s defence industry indeed is stepping up – particularly in driving innovation in the field of uncrewed systems. I am looking forward to the meeting, and you already announced it, this afternoon, with representatives from the defence industry. And I was really impressed this morning to see how you have revamped Croatia’s Air Force in just a couple of years.
You are already spending more than 2% of GDP on defence, and are working to reach the 5% benchmark by 2035, as all Allies agreed at the Summit in The Hague.
I also welcome that, as of the 1st of January this year, the Croatian Air Force officially assumed full responsibility for protecting Croatian airspace.
Croatia is also making good on the commitment Allies made to sustain our unwavering support for Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Croatia has been a strong and reliable supporter of Ukraine.
In addition to your recent 15 million euro contribution to indeed, you already mentioned it, the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List – PURL – Croatia has provided now over 300 million euros in military aid since 2022.
You have supplied helicopters, transport aircraft, artillery systems, ammunition, protective equipment, and much more.
Russia’s brutal war of aggression continues. And we saw just last week, the use of the Oreshnik missile on Lviv and continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. Russia is trying to deter us from supporting Ukraine, but we will not be deterred.
As Ukraine faces immense pressure during the harsh winter, your support, and support of all NATO Allies, is more important than ever.
Ukraine’s security is our security.
And under your leadership, Prime Minister Plenković, Croatia has truly been a vital partner to our Ukrainian friends.
Croatia also plays an important role in sustaining stability in the Western Balkans. You are a longstanding contributor to KFOR, with more than 150 troops on the ground in Kosovo.
The Western Balkans remain high on NATO’s agenda, and our commitment to the region’s stability is steadfast. With your support, we will not allow a security vacuum to emerge, and NATO will continue to strengthen political dialogue and practical cooperation across the region.
Prime Minister Plenković, dear Andrej,
Thank you for your warm hospitality, and again, for Croatia’s steadfast support to our Alliance, and everything we collectively stand for. Thank you.
https://bit.ly/NATOhomepage
SECURITY COUNCIL I want to flag that our esteemed colleagues in the Security Council Branch released online the 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice. The Highlights Paper features insights into the work of the Security Council in 2025, particularly regarding meetings and other activities (including missions to the field) the agenda items and topics dealt with, decision-making and the work of its subsidiary bodies. It’s a fantastic trove of date for all of you Security Council afficionados!
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, and