PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine highly appreciates the political support and practical assistance of Croatia – Ihor Zhovkva [October 2022]

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 25 October 2022.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva is on a working visit to the Republic of Croatia on October 24-26.

During the meeting with Minister of Defense of Croatia Mario Banožić the interaction of the two countries in the military-technical sphere was discussed in detail.

The Deputy Head of the President’s Office thanked the Croatian side for the important practical assistance provided to our country in the first days of the full-scale invasion of Russia, and also expressed hope for the continuation of relevant efforts aimed at strengthening resistance to Russian military aggression.

Ihor Zhovkva informed the interlocutor about the course of the military operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular in the context of the liberation of temporarily occupied territories in the east and south of our country.

During a meeting with Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Croatia Dino Mihanović, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President expressed gratitude to the Croatian government for supporting our country in the struggle against full-scale armed aggression.

“Ukraine highly appreciates the firm support of Croatia and the corresponding personal efforts of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in providing assistance to our state,” said Ihor Zhovkva.

He also noted that the holding of the first parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform in Zagreb is another proof of the continued support of the Croatian side for Ukraine’s efforts to liberate the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

The interlocutors paid the main attention to the prospects of strengthening the EU’s sanctions pressure on the aggressor country, the importance of speeding up the supply of weapons to Ukraine, as well as the practical steps of our country regarding the implementation of the strategic course for joining the EU.

Separately, during the meeting, Ihor Zhovkva and Dino Mihanović discussed the possibilities of Ukraine’s further cooperation with NATO.

During the meeting with Foreign and European Policy Advisor to the President of Croatia Neven Pelicarić and Defense and National Security Advisor to the President of Croatia Dragan Lozančić, a wide range of issues of the Ukrainian-Croatian dialogue were discussed.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President thanked for the significant humanitarian assistance provided by Croatia. He expressed hope for the effective support in demining the territory of Ukraine, in particular in view of the significant relevant experience of the Republic of Croatia.

The interlocutors also discussed the issues of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.

In addition, Ihor Zhovkva took part in a discussion program in the framework of the first parliamentary summit of the international Crimea Platform, organized by the office of the Crimea Platform and the expert network of the Crimea Platform, regarding the reintegration of Crimea and holding Russia accountable for international crimes.

In his speech, Ihor Zhovkva spoke about the work of the Ukrainian side with the aim of de-occupying Crimea, in particular about the formation of its reintegration policy and the key role of the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the establishment of the international Crimea Platform in this.