Croatian Government will continue to support Ukraine politically, militarily, energetically and humanitarianly

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković today participated in Kyiv, together with a number of heads of state and government, as well as the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, at the commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the beginning of the second Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Prime Minister Plenković was accompanied by Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Croatian Parliament Andro Krstulović Opara, and Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Ukraine Anica Djamić.

Upon arrival in Kyiv, Prime Minister Plenković, together with President of Ukraine Zelensky and European colleagues, paid tribute to the brave Ukrainian defenders who gave their lives for Ukrainian freedom, democratic values, and the security of Europe at Kyiv's Maidan.

Support for peace efforts and territorial integrity of Ukraine

He then visited the location of the combined heat and power plant to learn about the consequences of Russian missile attacks on Kyiv's energy and heating infrastructure. Namely, at last week's Government session, a new bilateral aid package for Ukraine was adopted, specifically intended for energy reconstruction, which includes a contribution to the Energy Restoration Fund of Ukraine in the amount of 1.5 million euros and additional technical support to the Ukrainian energy system.

At the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, hosted by President Zelensky, Prime Minister Plenković stressed that Croatia stands for a just and sustainable peace and that Ukraine should not agree to the de jure renunciation of its occupied territory in peace negotiations.

"The Croatian Government will continue to support Ukraine politically, militarily, in energy and humanitarian terms, as well as in the process of demining and the transfer of experience in the prosecution of war crimes," he said.

Zelensky presented Plenković with a decoration for significant contribution to the promotion of Ukraine

Prime Minister Plenković also met today with the Ukrainian state leadership - President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Ukrainian President Zelensky presented the Prime Minister with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st degree, which is awarded for significant contributions to strengthening interstate cooperation, support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, charitable activities and the promotion of Ukraine around the world.

The Prime Minister said that the award is a recognition to all of Croatia, which has stood by Ukraine and its people over the past four years, and he sees it as a message to the Croatian Government and the Croatian people.

Heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people

In a statement to the media, Plenković said that the reason for today's visit was the fourth anniversary of the second Russian invasion of Ukraine, emphasizing that what Putin called a three-day special operation ultimately stretched into four years of heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a much larger and more powerful enemy and aggressor.

He pointed out that Ukraine suffered enormous casualties and great destruction, as well as waves of refugees, but also an energy crisis that affected not only Ukraine itself, but also the whole of Europe. He added that there are also serious consequences for international law and the international order, as well as for the entire security architecture of Europe.

Prime Minister emphasized that his stay in Kyiv was a message of solidarity of the Government of the Republic of Croatia with the President of Ukraine Zelensky, Prime Minister Sviridenko and the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Stefanchuk, but above all with the Ukrainian people and the army, which has shown itself to be the defensive shield of Europe, our fundamental values ​​and international law.

He recalled that Croatia is actively assisting Ukraine, and in February the government made decisions on further support for Ukraine's energy sector and continued support for the country's demining process.

Croatia sent an important message today by welcoming another group of Ukrainian wounded soldiers to Croatia for rehabilitation, who were met by Minister of Croatian Veterans Affairs Tomo Medved and the Minister of Health Irena Hrstić.

We support Ukraine on its European path

During his visit to Kyiv, the Prime Minister also met with the Croatian community, emphasizing that Croatia is a friend of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

He said that Croatia, from its own experience of the Homeland War, can understand what the Ukrainian people and leadership are going through.

"We support Ukraine on its European path and we want to be an open and honest advisor in this process," said Plenković.

He thanked everyone who works in international missions, diplomacy or the business world for their efforts and work, because in this way they contribute to even greater connections between the two nations.

Croatia can supply Hungary and Slovakia with oil
 
The Prime Minister was asked about the oil supply to Hungary and Slovakia.

"As for the possibility of Croatia fully supplying Hungary and Slovakia with energy, there are no dilemmas and we have been telling this to our partners - both Hungarians and Slovaks and the European Commission all this time. The fact is that until now there has been a commercial arrangement between MOL and its partners in Russia to buy cheaper oil from Russia, which comes to the refineries in Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline directly through Ukraine," Plenković said.

I am saying this, he emphasized, as a message to our friends in Hungary and Slovakia to explain to their citizens that they are not threatened in terms of energy, that they can get all the oil they need through the Adriatic oil pipeline, through Croatia.

"We are here to ensure that their energy supply is long-term, stable, reliable, not through an oil pipeline that is secondary, but through an oil pipeline that can without any problem be the primary and the only one, if they want," Plenković pointed out.