Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Croatia on Wednesday for a summit with Balkan leaders, including Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani, as Ukraine seeks to halt Russian advances in the east and requests more military assistance.
Zelensky announced his arrival on platform X, stating that he is in Croatia for a summit being held in southern Dubrovnik.
The summit will discuss “international efforts to bring peace… as well as cooperation on the path to European Union and NATO membership,” he said.
Croatia will host leaders from 12 regional states and Zelensky in his mission to secure support from allies, especially as upcoming elections in the U.S. could overshadow developments in Ukraine.
The summit aims to demonstrate that “the entire region supports Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom,” said Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. He promised continued “solidarity with Ukraine… including military assistance.”
Alongside Zelensky and Plenković, heads of state, prime ministers, and foreign ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey will also attend.
The Kosovo presidency stated that the summit is expected to reaffirm unwavering support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the importance of sanctions against Russia, cooperation with the EU, and the support of Southeast European countries for Ukraine.
Additionally, Osmani is expected to hold separate meetings with her counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.