Ladies and gentlemen, Prime Minister Plenković has met with Mr. Rutte, Secretary General of NATO, who is visiting Croatia. Following the meeting which addressed the key security challenges, strengthening European defense and the modernization of the Croatian army, we are now having a press statement. So, Prime Minister Plenković, the floor is yours.
Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Once again, warm welcome to my friend Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO and former Dutch Prime Minister. He visited us two years ago, but he was in a different position. I'm very happy to see him for the first time in Croatia as the Secretary General at the moment when the world and Europe are facing very demanding and challenging circumstances. This global insecurity is here. We are still witnessing the brutal aggression of Russia against Ukraine in terms of complying with international law, and there are several other areas which are critical and deserve our full attention, involvement, and vigilance. So today's meeting was an opportunity to inform the Secretary General of the activities that the Croatian government has undertaken in order to meet the obligations that have been taken over in the past several years. First of all, to reach 2% of GDP as defense spending and related activities which, according to NATO criteria, are included in these expenses. I would like to thank Minister Anušić here and Minister Grlić-Radman, who have taken part in meetings. Thank you to the Chief of the General Staff, General Kundid. Thank you for all the information that you have contributed. 2025 ended with 2.8% of defense spending. In 2025, it was above the Ministry of Defense budget, which exceeds one and a half billion. So in total, a 1.9 billion budget which meets the criteria when it comes to the percentage related to modernization, so it is a minimum of 20%. Croatia is now almost at 34%. We are particularly happy to say that these activities have been complemented with the purchase of new modern technologies such as Caesar self-propelled howitzers and Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany and other equipment. Croatia in that regard has been using new instruments for defense, such as the SAFE instrument. We took a 1.7 billion euro loan to finance defense expenses in the years to come. Very importantly, Croatia is a responsible and serious member of the alliance since 2009, and our forces participate in five missions with 270 members of our army. We have been present in Kosovo for years, in Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, and around 90 Croatian troops will be sent to Lithuania, and a smaller but significant symbolic presence in NATO's mission in Iraq. Today we also talked about our contribution to Ukraine, a friendly country victim of Russian aggression. The Croatian government has in the past several years contributed with 15 packages of military assistance, the last one in last week's government session with a decision was made. And we also contributed to the prioritized Ukraine requirement list, the so-called PURL that NATO is controlling and coordinating in order to acquire weapons that are only produced in the United States, and thus we have also contributed and helped Ukraine in its efforts to defend its freedom. Ukraine is not defending only its freedom. It is defending Europe's democracy and freedom. And that's why the consequences of Russian aggression have become more than evident in the entire continent, in Croatia, energy situation. We have had energy crisis, economic pressure, social and inflationary pressures. All this was and has been connected to the wider destabilization that we have gone through in the past period. We have also announced that in spring 2027, Croatia would host an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, and we want our participation as a country that is not that large in size, but we are a serious, responsible, reliable partner and ally that we have so far. So today's visit of the Secretary General is very important, and I'm happy to say that in the morning we went to Pleso, the Secretary General had an opportunity to see Croatian combat aircraft Rafale, Black Hawk helicopters, and also unmanned aircraft by Rakar. So the Secretary General got an insight into a very serious system and the process of replacing eastern military technology with western one, the process that we have been undertaking for the past decade, and today we see that this system has serious capacities and capabilities which are compatible with our allies, and all of this has strengthened Croatian defense and its capabilities in the long term. I also look forward to our afternoon meeting with the Croatian defense industry cluster. Thank you, Minister of Defense, who you have invited practically all producers of all military equipment manufactured in Croatia, so the Secretary General could get an insight into what this part of our economy is doing, and it is doing very well. It is export-oriented. Of course, we also addressed a number of security challenges that relate to the global environment, our region, and we have also talked about the situation post the Coalition of the Willing Paris meeting, and we will continue to talk about this after our lunch. Once again, Mark, welcome and I'm happy to see you here in Zagreb.
Well, thank you very much, Prime Minister Plenković. Dear Andrej, let me also acknowledge the presence of the two ministers. Good that you're here and the Chief of Defense. And thank you for hosting me here in beautiful Zagreb. It's always a pleasure to be here. 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. And 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 modernize the capabilities of the Croatian armed forces and the way Croatia's defense industry indeed is stepping up, particularly in driving innovation in the field of unmanned systems. I'm looking forward to the meeting you already announced this afternoon with representatives from the defense 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 defense and are working to reach the 3.5% benchmark by 2035 as all allies agreed at a summit in The Hague. And 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 50 million euro contribution to the prioritized Ukraine requirement 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 the 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 long-standing 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.
Thank you. Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you, Secretary General. We have time for questions. Please respect time. We have time for only a few questions. Yes, Mima Kusmanović.
Hello. A question for Secretary General. Good afternoon. So, a group of European countries led by the UK and Germany are apparently planning to increase military presence in the Arctic, on Greenland. Could you tell us more about these plans? Would it be like the Baltic Sentry initiative from last year, or how would it look, and how far have the plans gone? Thank you.
Thank you very much for that question, and let me first of all stress that all allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security because we know that with sea lanes opening up, there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active. As you know, there are eight Arctic countries, seven are within NATO, including the United States and Canada, and five countries in Europe, including Denmark through Greenland, and Iceland and Norway, Finland and Sweden. And then there is one Arctic country outside NATO, and that is Russia. But you could also argue that by now China has almost become a sort of Arctic country, not geographically but at least by the sheer amount of their activities and interest in the region. So that has led this year, sorry, last year already to some debates, very successfully concluded debates in NATO on how as an alliance together with our seven Arctic allies we have to work together to make sure that the Arctic stays safe. And currently we are discussing the next step to that, how to make sure that we give practical follow-up on those discussions to make sure that as an alliance we do everything collectively and through our individual allies to make sure that the Arctic stays safe, as we all agree that that has to be a priority.
Also a question for you, Secretary General. My name is Annabella Leo from Croatian Radio. You have repeatedly stated that Russia is the main threat to NATO and to Europe. Of course, understandably, we all understand why. What is your comment on the latest statements from Donald Trump who said that if necessary he will take military action on Greenland? And I'm just going to read it. Commissioner Kubilius from European Commission has said that EU members are obliged to come to Denmark's assistance under EU treaty if faced with military aggression, and as we know 23 countries of the EU are also members of NATO, including Croatia.
Yes. Well, on that question, and it is a little bit repeating my previous reaction, but thank you very much for that important question. I think what is at core here is that we all make that same analysis, and there is no debate or discussion about that, the analysis is sound and is there. When it comes to the high north, the Arctic region, I was myself visiting Iceland only six or eight weeks ago, and we also extensively discussed this, and I was in Norway and other visiting other allies, discussing with the US and with Canada. I was with Prime Minister Carney last week in Paris discussing the importance of the Arctic. So collectively as an alliance, and particularly of course the countries who are bordering on the region, we do make this analysis that collective defense is crucial. We all see that through changes in weather patterns, sea lanes are opening up, and we have to make sure that we do everything to protect that region. It is a vital part of NATO territory. And that is exactly why, where in the past NATO was not so much involved when it came to the Arctic, since 2025 on the request by the seven high north allies who are bordering on the Arctic, NATO has become more involved. This has led to a few, as I said, very successful discussions within the NATO alliance with our ambassadors in Brussels and our ministers. We discussed this importance, and currently we are working on the next steps to make sure that indeed we collectively protect what is at stake here.
Allow me to add a few words related to Greenland, Denmark, and the signals that have been coming from the US administration. We have been communicating with the Danish government, with Prime Minister Frederiksen. We were in Paris together last week, and this week according to announcement there will be a meeting with Secretary of State Rubio. The message of all allies and all EU members is that allies have to respect each other, including the US as the largest NATO member. It is obvious what the Secretary General said, that there is some concern for the area of the Arctic which includes Greenland. But I am confident that with discussion we can find the solution that will ensure security for the US and will make sure that Greenland is a part of Denmark, although it's not in the EU, but it is clear that it is within the authority of Denmark. That's why high-quality dialogue is necessary and it can definitely resolve this situation for the benefit of global security. Marović, Croatian Television here.
For Secretary General. So the new peace plan for Ukraine, the 20-point peace plan, mentions security guarantees similar to Article 5 from NATO. So my question is, if those guarantees resemble Article 5, why not give Ukraine the real deal, the real Article 5 and NATO membership? Are the doors of NATO closed for Ukraine?
When it comes to NATO membership of Ukraine, there was a summit in Washington in 2024 which was very clear, and we stated in the specific words of that summit statement the irreversible path of Ukraine into NATO. So that was the political commitment in 2024 and that still stands. At the same time, we know that several allies, including Hungary and the United States and some others, are either against or very much doubtful about full NATO membership for Ukraine. That is a given. That is a fact. And at the moment, we have to deal with the situation in Ukraine and between Ukraine and Russia, particularly since the brutal unprovoked onslaught of Russia against Ukraine starting in February 2022. And what is being discussed now with the United States, with all NATO allies within the Coalition of the Willing, led and originally organized and led by the French and the Brits, is how after a full peace deal or a long-term ceasefire, how to make sure that Russia will never ever attack again. And if it is then not NATO, what then? And that's exactly the debate which is now currently taking place. The US is very important here. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are playing a very positive role here together with Marco Rubio under the guidance of President Trump, who has broken a deadlock with Putin by starting to dialogue with him, and he had to do that. He was the only one who could do this, and I was very happy he did starting in February last year. And last week in Paris, and we were both there, I think we made big progress on nailing as much as possible what those security guarantees will be in three levels. Level one being the Ukrainian armed forces. Level two, a Coalition of the Willing organizing itself in such a way that it will help to build up the Ukrainian armed forces but also functioning clearly collectively as in addition to the Ukrainian armed forces protecting, at least preventing the Russians from getting into a position where they want to attack again. But also the US being heavily involved in various ways as we discussed last week in Paris. So we have these three layers. That was very successful. That's now being finalized next to everything which is needed when it comes to the reconstruction of Ukraine. And obviously that still leaves the very sensitive issue of territory, very sensitive, where in the end it has to be the Ukrainian government taking the decisions on what they want to do yes or no when it comes to territory. But they need to know that whenever that moment comes when they have to decide on territory, that they have the full backing not only of their own armed forces but also of this Coalition of the Willing, the United States, to collectively make sure that indeed the Russians will not repeat what they did after 2014, 2015 with the Minsk agreement, which is attacking Ukraine again.
