It is necessary to nurture transatlantic relations and avoid moves that could worsen the situation

Asked whether European leaders' confidence in transatlantic relations had been shaken, Prime Minister Plenković pointed out that the situation yesterday was different than when the European Council meeting was convened.

As he explained, a few days ago there was a threat to take over Greenland, as well as the introduction of tariffs on eight countries. However, in his speech in Davos, US President Trump took two steps back.

The first step was when he emphasized that, in the event that Denmark does not agree to sell Greenland, he will not use force, and the second when he ruled out the possibility of introducing tariffs on eight European countries.

Solidarity with Denmark while continuing the transatlantic partnership

In these new circumstances, European leaders gathered in Brussels for an informal meeting of the European Council to discuss relations between the European Union and the United States.

Prime Minister Plenković stressed that the meeting expressed the solidarity of the member states with Denmark and their support for its territorial integrity.

In addition, they discussed how to renew and strengthen transatlantic cooperation, which is the foundation of the international order after the Second World War.

He assessed that the European Union maintained a fairly coordinated and consistent position.

There are true global problems, tensions between allies make no sense

Prime Minister Plenković believes that there are many other issues that are truly global problems, which is why the escalation of tension between the allies does not make much sense.

"It is important that we re-establish dialogue and remain partners in a rapidly changing world. In the context of these changes, it is more reasonable to nurture transatlantic relations than to undertake gestures that could further worsen the situation," he said.

When asked about the agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries, Prime Minister Plenković said that there are different positions among the member states.

Some would like the agreement to enter into force in order to expand EU exports to Mercosur countries, while other countries are somewhat concerned about a possible increased influx of South American agricultural products into the European market.

From Croatia's perspective, the current volume of trade with these South American countries is not significant enough to threaten Croatian agriculture, said Prime Minister Plenković, adding that the agreement itself contains numerous safeguards.

We will consider the invitation to join the Board of Peace

He also referred to the initiative of US President Trump to establish the Board of Peace, to which the Croatian Government has also received an invitation.

Explaining that it is impossible for Croatia, due to constitutional and legal restrictions, to immediately sign a document of this kind, he pointed out that the American partners were told that the Croatian Government will be able to make its decision only after a thorough analysis of the text of the initiative and the necessary political consultations in Croatia.

In addition, the compatibility of such an initiative with the Charter of the United Nations, its legal relationship with the European Union, and the question of whether it continues to operate within the framework of United Nations decisions will be examined, for example in the context of monitoring President Trump's peace plan for Gaza.

"So far, what we have seen is a proposal for a completely new international organization whose goal is to promote peace and reconstruction after conflicts on various world battlefields," said the Prime Minister.

We should, he added, strive to preserve European unity as much as possible, while at the same time participating in a manner that is acceptable at the European level.

Despite peace efforts, Russia continues its aggression

He also referred to efforts to establish peace in Ukraine, particularly in the context of US President Donald Trump's talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos, regarding security guarantees for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Plenković stressed that Russian aggression against cities, population, and civilian, energy, and communications infrastructure - not just military - has continued, while Ukraine continues to defend itself and at the same time makes great efforts to preserve its statehood, territorial integrity, and security stability.

He added that he believes that the security guarantees of the United States of America are extremely important to President Zelensky, recalling that Ukraine, with promises of security, gave up its nuclear arsenal more than 30 years ago - an experience that turned out to be very bad.

Prime Minister Plenković said that he emphasized to President Zelensky that every peace agreement has two aspects: the moment of signing and its long-term consequences. Therefore, he advised him to try to find a solution that avoids any territorial concessions, because that would be very difficult, not only for this generation of Ukrainians, but would also create a dangerous precedent for future similar situations.

Defense of Ukraine, the prime minister stressed, is of key importance for the European continent and for all member states of the European Union.

"That's why we all, including Croatia, have shown great solidarity with Ukraine in various ways," he said.