NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Croatia on Monday (12 January 2026), where he met President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković along with key members of his government.
"Since joining the Alliance in 2009, Croatia has been a valued member of NATO. It contributes significantly to our collective security - not only on our eastern flank and in the Western Balkans, but across the entire Alliance," he said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Plenković.
Secretary General Rutte welcomed Croatia's commitment to continue to increase its defence investment in the coming years, having already reached the 2% benchmark in 2025.
Croatia is a strong and reliable supporter of Ukraine. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Croatia has provided over 300 million euros in military aid, including 15 million euros to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirement List (PURL) in December 2025.
"You have supplied helicopters, transport aircraft, artillery systems, ammunition, protective equipment, and much more," Secretary General Rutte said. "Russia's brutal war of aggression continues. And we saw just last week, the use of the Oreshnik missile on Lviv and continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. Russia is trying to deter us from supporting Ukraine, but we will not be deterred. As Ukraine faces immense pressure during the harsh winter, your support, and support of all NATO Allies, is more important than ever."
During his visit, the Secretary General also met representatives from the Croatian defence industry as well as the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Gordan Jandroković.
