Plenković: To achieve a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine, we cannot reward the aggressor with territory

Participating in the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković spoke on a panel about Ukraine, strengthening European defense and the future of Europe. It is necessary to achieve a just and sustainable peace with security guarantees for Ukraine, he said and added that a solution that would reward the aggressor and justify the violation of international law would be bad for Ukraine, Europe and the whole world in the long term. At the meeting with the Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen he discussed the strengthening of Croatian exports to Denmark and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

At the beginning of his speech, the Prime Minister reminded that Croatia, unfortunately, was a victim of the Greater Serbian aggression of the Milošević regime in the early nineties, and because of this, it has a unique experience among the members of the Union.
 
He once again expressed his support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, because as he emphasized, they are not only defending their country, but also the fundamental values ​​on which Europe and the democratic world were built.
 
"Now, due to Russian aggression, the world order based on international law, multilateralism and mutual respect is threatened," Plenković warned.
 
He explained that the model used by Russia today is the same as the one used by Serbia 30 years ago, and consists of four phases.
 
The first is to try to question the identity of a nation, which is related to denazification. Then follows the phase of endangered minorities, whether we are talking about the Russian minority in Ukraine or the Serbs in Croatia. After that, the minority begins to declare independence on the territory of the country in which they live, and eventually liberators from the neighborhood arrive.
 
Strong security guarantees for Ukraine
 
He said that he emphasizes this in order to understand what is at stake if the aggressor is rewarded with the conquered territory, because it would be a green light for other abusers to conquer the territory of neighboring, weaker countries, and that would be a terrifying precedent.
 
When asked what he expected from a potential peace meeting in Istanbul, the prime minister said that he hoped it would be held in full and that it would be a big step forward. He added that President Zelensky and President Trump have proven that they are ready for negotiations, and as for Russia, this has yet to be confirmed, as it has so far continued its attacks on Ukraine.
 
Now the main goal is to strengthen the Ukrainian army so that it can defend the country against possible future attacks, he said, clarifying that Russia has recruiting capacities like no other, which gives it a huge advantage.
 
He also expressed understanding for Ukraine's desire to receive solid security guarantees, as it agreed to hand over its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal 30 years ago in exchange for security guarantees from world powers, including Russia, only to become a target of aggression a few decades later.
 
They need stronger security guarantees so that aggressions do not repeat, the Prime Minister said.
 
He stressed that Croatia will not support an agreement that would reward the aggressor with conquered territory, and that security guarantees that would prevent future aggressions are crucial.
 
Plenković said that the thesis of certain political actors that the war in Ukraine does not concern Europe is incorrect. Russian aggression has affected all of us, caused an energy crisis and then a rise in prices throughout Europe.
 
For this reason, we had to intervene strongly to preserve the social cohesion of our societies and the economic growth of our economies, he said, concluding that the Russian aggression against Ukraine is also an attack on the European economy.
 
Meeting with Danish Prime Minister: Continuation of excellent cooperation between Croatia and Denmark
 
After participating in the panel, Prime Minister Plenković met with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen.
 
"With the Danish Prime Minister, we continue excellent cooperation within the framework of the European Union and NATO," the Prime Minister said.
 
They discussed strengthening Croatian exports to Denmark and bilateral cooperation between the two countries, as well as the situation in Ukraine, migration challenges and transatlantic cooperation.
 
Trade with Denmark is growing and has reached 450 million euros, and the goal is to further deepen economic cooperation.
 
That is why the government is investing in Rijeka and other Adriatic ports and in railway infrastructure, in order to enhance Croatia's position as the shortest route to Central Europe for major maritime routes, he emphasized.
 
An important contribution to this will be made by the partnership with the Danish company Maersk on the Rijeka Gateway container terminal project, which strengthens Croatia's position as the Mediterranean gateway to Central Europe.
 
Prime Minister Discusses Strengthening European Defense with Former NATO Secretary General
 
The Prime Minister met with Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former NATO Secretary General and founder of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, in Copenhagen the day before. They discussed key global and security challenges that threaten democratic societies around the world.
 
They concluded that they share the view on the importance of achieving a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, a peace that will not only stop the war, but also preserve Ukrainian sovereignty, provide lasting security guarantees, and protect the fundamental principles of international law.
 
During the conversation, they also touched upon the ReArm Plan for strengthening European defense, as well as the significant strides that Croatia has made in modernizing its armed forces.

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