Minister Anušić attends NATO meeting: A fair peace for Ukraine must be guaranteed, Russia must not have advantage

Today, on 13 February 2025, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić participated in the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

As part of the meeting, two thematic sessions were held: a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, which discussed priorities and goals for the summit in The Hague, which will be held in June this year; and a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which was also attended by Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

The Ministers discussed the continuation of aid to Ukraine, where the importance of further support was highlighted: both due to defence of Ukraine and by reason of European security issue. In this sense, it was pointed out that the Allies exceeded the goal they committed to at the summit in Washington, which was to provide Ukraine with 40 billion euros in security support in 2024, thus securing more than 50 billion euros, of which more than 60 percent is from European allies and Canada.

Minister Anušić: In the negotiation process Ukraine must have the status of a victim of aggression and it should have full assistance of the Western world.

On this occasion Minister Anušić emphasized that Croatia has been continuously assisting Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian aggression and will continue to do so.

“Croatia has so far allocated more than 208 million euros in military aid to Ukraine, and given our position and our GDP, this is a fairly large amount. In 2024, European countries and Canada contributed 60 percent of total military aid to Ukraine, while the United States contributed 40 percent. We will continue to assist Ukraine, including in the negotiation process ahead of it,” he said.

In this context, he emphasized that Ukraine must have the status of a victim of aggression in the negotiation process and that in the entire process it should have full assistance of the Western world.

“We must ensure a just peace, a social and political solution. Ukraine must have the status of a victim of aggression in order to ultimately negotiate a just peace. Russia must not be allowed to end this three-year aggression with a victory or an advantage at the beginning and end of negotiations. Europe must insist on this and we must not give up on it,” Minister Anušić said, adding that an unjust peace, which would only mean a momentarily stopped conflict, is not and must not be an option, not only for the sake of Ukraine, but also for the sake of setting an example for the entire world and for all those who have intentions similar to Russia’s when it comes to territorial claims.

The Minister concluded by saying that Europe can and must take responsibility and help Ukraine as it has done so far, and strengthen and empower Ukraine through military and political assistance. “At the end of the negotiations, Ukraine must be satisfied, and the destruction and great sacrifices that we have been witnessing for three years must stop,” Minister Anušić emphasized in Brussels.

The Republic of Croatia has significantly increased its defence investments

At the meeting, the Defence Ministers of NATO countries discussed topics related to ensuring the security of the Alliance, the new Capability Goals that will enable effective deterrence and defence, the necessity of increasing allocations for defence spending and strengthening defence industrial capacities.
It was emphasized that in addition to increasing allocation for defence spending, the capacity of the Transatlantic defence industry will have to be strengthened and in parallel the implementation of NATO standards will have to be intensified.

The Republic of Croatia has significantly increased its defence investments in the past few years. This year, Croatian defence expenditures amount to 2.03 percent of GDP, with a planned tendency for further growth in the coming years. In addition, NATO goal is for investment in equipment and modernization to amount to at least 20 percent of the defence budget. This year, the Republic of Croatia reached almost 30 percent of the defence budget for equipment, while the plan for the year 2027 is to raise this share to as much as 40 percent.

Minister Anušić with Albanian Minister of Defence Pirro Vengu

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Albania Pirro Vengu on the margins of the NATO ministerial meeting.

The markedly friendly relations between the two countries were highlighted, and the Ministers exchanged views on regional initiatives with particular emphasis on the US-Adriatic Charter (A-5) and RACVIAC – Center for Security Cooperation, as well as the possibilities of strengthening military-technical cooperation and bilateral defence cooperation between Croatia and Albania.

Minister Anušić emphasized Croatia’s commitment to NATO obligations and its consistency in supporting Ukraine. They also addressed the situation in Southeast Europe, and in this regard, the Minister emphasized Croatia’s strong and consistent commitment to accession of the countries of the region to the European Union, adding that Croatia will continue to support Albania on its path to full membership.
“Last year, Croatia and Albania celebrated 15 years of NATO membership, and today, more than ever, it is important for the Alliance to show unity and determination,” Minister Anušić said.