President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the situation on the battlefield and the Ukrainian offensive, the preparation of the energy system and air defense for the heating season, and the transportation of Ukrainian grain with Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković.

The meeting was held at the Ukraine-Balkans summit in Athens, the President’s Office informs.

In particular, Zelensky talked about the situation on the battlefield, the offensive of the Ukrainian army and the problems it faces. He also briefed Plenković on preparation of the Ukrainian energy system and air defense for the autumn-winter period.

The President thanked Croatia for preparing a new defense package for Ukraine, which will contain important components. The parties discussed the further development of bilateral defense cooperation.

The Head of State informed the Prime Minister of Croatia in detail about Russia's illegal blockade of navigation in the Black Sea and heavy Russian missile strikes on Ukraine's port infrastructure which endanger global food security.

“Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready to continue to be a guarantor of global food security and is interested in finding new ways of supplying food to world markets, one of which could be Croatia. The Croatian side confirmed its readiness to provide ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea for transporting Ukrainian grain,” the statement reads.

The parties discussed geopolitical and other challenges caused by Russian aggression against our country. They coordinated steps for further cooperation in the international arena.

The Head of State pointed to the importance of Croatian experience in the field of humanitarian demining and thanked Croatia for its practical assistance and leadership in demining Ukrainian territories. The importance of holding the International Donor Conference on Humanitarian Demining, which will be held in Zagreb in October, was noted.

Zelensky also thanked Croatia and the Croatian people for their special concern for forced migrants from Ukraine.

Photo: President’s Office