NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has praised Croatia for its contribution to the North Atlantic alliance and its backing for Ukraine against Russia's aggression.
Rutte visited Croatia on Monday and met President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, alongside other government members, NATO said in a release on Tuesday.
Rutte described Croatia as a “valued member” of the alliance since it joined in 2009, speaking at a joint press conference with Plenković.
He also welcomed Croatia’s plan to keep increasing defence spending in the coming years after reaching NATO’s 2% benchmark in 2025.
Croatia has provided more than €300 million in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, including €15 million in December 2025 to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirement List (PURL) — a NATO-linked list used to match urgent Ukrainian needs with donations.
Rutte said Croatia had supplied helicopters, transport aircraft, artillery systems, ammunition and protective equipment.
Meeting Croatian leaders and industry
Rutte said Russia used an Oreshnik missile on Lviv last week and continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, according to NATO.
During the trip, he also met representatives from Croatia’s defence industry and the Speaker of Parliament, Gordan Jandroković.
