Rutte in Zagreb: Ukraine's security is our security

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković discussed leading security challenges, strengthening European defense and modernization of the Croatian Armed Forces at the government offices in Zagreb today.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is on a working visit to Croatia today as part of a tour of NATO member states.

Plenković: Ukraine defends democracy, values and security of Europe

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in a joint statement after the meeting at the government offices that they used the meeting to inform Rutte about the numerous activities that the Government is undertaking in terms of fulfilling the commitments made at summit meetings, primarily the commitment to reach 2 percent of GDP in defense spending.

“We ended 2025 in budgetary terms with 2.08 percent of defense spending,” he said.

Plenković said that Croatia, as a responsible and serious member of the Alliance, is currently in a position for its armed forces to participate in five missions, with around 270 members of the Croatian Armed Forces.

He said that Ukraine is not only defending its freedom, but also democracy, values and security of Europe.

“That is why it is important to understand that the consequences of this Russian aggression were more than obvious for the entire continent, for Croatia, for our energy situation, we had an energy crisis, for economic pressures, social pressures, inflationary pressures - all of this was connected to the broader destabilization that we have been going through in the past,” said Plenković.

He also said that in the spring of 2027, Croatia will host the first-ever informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

Rutte: Croatia is truly a true partner for our Ukrainian friends

Rutte said that since joining NATO in 2009, Croatia has been an extremely important member that contributes to common security throughout the entire territory of the alliance.

“Before the holidays, I met with Croatian soldiers in Poland and it was truly inspiring to see so many soldiers and servicemen spending the holidays outside their family environment,” he said.

He welcomed Croatia's efforts to modernize the army and highlighted the innovativeness of the Croatian defense industry.

“I was really impressed this morning when I saw how you have renewed the air force in just a few years,” Rutte said.

He also praised Croatia's support in the context of the war in Ukraine.

“Croatia has contributed more than 300 million in equipment, helicopters, protective equipment and much more since 2022,” he said.

“Ukraine's security is our security. Under your leadership, Prime Minister, Croatia is truly a true partner to our Ukrainian friends,” Rutte said.

He also highlighted Croatia's role in stability in the Western Balkans.

Plenković on Greenland: A solution with talks

In response to a journalist's question about US President Donald Trump's threats to Greenland, Plenković said that the message from all allies and EU members is that allies must respect each other, which includes the US as the largest and most influential country in NATO.

“I am sure that with talks a solution can be found that will ensure security for the USA, and for Denmark what we all respect - we respect the fact that Greenland is part of Denmark, although it is not in the EU, but it is clear that it falls under its jurisdiction, and that is why, in our opinion, a high-quality dialogue can resolve this situation for the benefit of everyone and for general security, and that is global,” he said.

About the drone in 2022

One of the journalists' questions was about the drone that crashed in Zagreb four years ago after flying over three NATO members.

Rutte praised Croatia for taking control of its airspace. He recalled the drone incursions into Poland and Estonia and said that this was the reason why NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, decided to start providing full NATO support in terms of organizing the Eastern Guard.

Plenković said that, compared to 2022, Croatia has Rafale multi-role combat aircraft at its disposal, which have all the capabilities that the MiGs of the time did not have, and that cooperation has been raised to a higher level.

When asked where exactly the drone came from in Ukraine, Plenković said that neither we nor NATO know.

Source: HRT