By Alperen Aktas
ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that he met with Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anusic to discuss continued military support and cooperation on defense and veteran programs.
Zelenskyy thanked Croatia for its “support of Ukraine—and for every package of military assistance, including the 14th already allocated and the 15th planned by the end of the year.”
He said the meeting also focused on advancing projects under the PURL initiative, particularly on air defense assets, and making use of the opportunities provided by the SAFE mechanism.
“A separate and highly relevant topic was veteran policy—an important issue for us. We are interested in Croatia’s experience in this area,” he added on Telegram.
NATO introduced the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative in July after Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine and accused allies of failing to share the burden.
SAFE is a new European Union initiative that offers €150 billion ($176.7 billion) in low-cost loans to member states to boost their defense capabilities.