Croatia and the War in Ukraine

Abstract

This paper analyses the Croatian policy regarding the war in Ukraine by considering political and social reactions as well as its defence policy and army development steps. Beyond recent political and economic considerations, the Croatian government’s standpoint that fully supports Ukraine is based on the characteristics of its nation- and state-building processes. However, the forms of supporting Ukraine raised several debates among the Croat political decision-makers. Development in the Croatian army started in the last few years but that is not directly related to the Russian aggression and the start of the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the new geopolitical and security context that emerged as a consequence of the war could have an impact on Zagreb’s short- and mid-term reform plans and possibilities in the field of defence. Finally, the paper will briefly cover economic impacts of the war, with attention to the energy sector in particular in which new strategic opportunities occurred for Zagreb.