Croatia might provide Ukraine with Mi-8 helicopters and assist with mine clearance
Croatian Defence Minister Mario Banožić said on an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Wednesday that Zagreb is currently considering providing Kyiv with Mi-8 helicopters and assistance with mine clearance.
Source: Banožić at the press conference in Odesa, reports European Pravda
Details: Speaking about ways to support Ukraine, the Croatian Minister of Defence mentioned the more than 25 years of experience in humanitarian mine clearance that his country has gained as a result of the 1992-1995 Serbian-Croatian war.
"Our experience of the war in the 90s is the reason why we know what is happening [in Ukraine – ed.] and why you are right. It also includes care for veterans and post-war activities such as mine clearance," he emphasised.
When asked whether Ukraine could expect to receive Mi-8 helicopters from Croatia, Banožić said that the issue is currently being considered.
"From the very beginning, the Croatian government has been supporting Ukraine financially, technically and materially and has been providing political support. And one of the steps to this political support is a decision that is currently being considered by our government. One of the points of this decision is helicopters, and I hope that in the near future, we will be able to transfer them [to Ukraine – ed.]," he said.
On his Facebook page, Banožić separately wrote that he had presented his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, with a model of the Vukovar water tower and a part of the missile body that was fired during the war at his hometown of Vinkovci as "a symbol of understanding the horrors of war and a symbol of the suffering and freedom of the Croatian people".
Croatia has consistently supported Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war, but because of the pro-Russian opposition and President Zoran Milanović, for example, it did not join the European Union mission to train the Ukrainian military.
In January, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković promised to continue supporting Ukraine despite the parliament's refusal to approve the participation of Croatian troops in the EU training mission.
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