Ukraine and Croatia have taken another step toward strengthening their joint defense capabilities. Minister of Defense of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Defense of Croatia Ivan Anušić signed a Letter of Intent to expand defense-industrial cooperation between the two countries.

According to Denys Shmyhal, the parties agreed to establish joint production chains and intensify cooperation between the defense industries of both nations. A joint industrial forum of manufacturers is planned for early next year.

“I thanked Croatia for 13 packages of military assistance worth over €200 million. We expect the 14th package in the near future and another one by the end of the year”, — said Denys Shmyhal.

Special attention during the talks was given to joint participation in the European SAFE mechanism and Croatia’s possible involvement in the PURL initiative. The Minister also highlighted Croatia’s significant contribution to the work of the Demining Coalition: the Croatian company DOK-ING has already delivered 69 demining machines to Ukraine and has started producing spare parts directly on our territory.

The parties also discussed the potential for joint production of FPV drones — one of the key areas of modern defense technology.

“We see Croatia’s genuine interest in this cooperation. I thank Mr. Ivan Anušić for his firm support of Ukraine and the entire Croatian people for their true friendship and solidarity. Together we will defend Europe”, — emphasized the Minister of Defense of Ukraine.