Croatian PM tells CNN: Ignoring international law puts our survival at risk

Asked about the war in Ukraine and what comes after years of fighting, Plenkovic also addressed Russian drone strikes on Kyiv and Ukraine's increasingly deep strikes into Russian territory.

Plenkovic said Russia has "relentlessly continued with its brutal aggression" against Ukraine for four and a half years, but that Ukraine had in the meantime regained its strength and secured strong international support to withstand the aggression, build up its military capabilities and, using new technologies, strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

What President Zelensky said today at the UN General Assembly was very clear. He is targeting Russia's ability to continue financing the war, and the easiest and most practical way to do that is to weaken its oil and gas production capabilities, Plenkovic said.

Asked whether he was confident the EU would remain united in providing further financial support to Ukraine, he said most member states had found a way to make around €90 billion in loans available through the EU budget. Of this, €60 billion is intended to boost Ukraine’s defence and €30 billion to support the functioning of the state.

"We understand that war takes its toll. It very quickly consumes weapons, ammunition and defence systems. But, as we have often said, we are here to support Ukraine because we are actually protecting international law. That was the main point of my speech yesterday, especially when it comes to small and medium-sized countries," said Plenkovic.

"If we are going to ignore or simply put aside international law, the whole international system, and our security and existence, is in question. That is why Ukraine is so important as a model of where of the world is going in the future," he said.

Asked about Croatia's strong tourism season and the impact of increasingly severe heatwaves across Europe, Plenkovic said Croatia had recorded another record season in the first eight months of the year. He said the country was approaching around 22 million tourist arrivals and 110 million overnight stays annually, generating more than €15.8 billion in revenue.

This is driven by our tourism sector, which is very important for the continued growth of the Croatian economy. The economy has grown for 22 quarters in a row, and this year I expect growth of around 2.3% to 2.4%, which is still roughly twice the rate of growth in the EU and the euro area, he said.

Plenkovic acknowledged, however, that climate change and drought had significantly affected Croatia’s security, particularly through wildfires. He said Croatia had strong firefighting capabilities, including Canadair water bombers and Air Tractor aircraft, and that it also provided this expertise to other Mediterranean countries.