Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic shake hands as they attend a joint meeting during the third Ukraine-South Eastern Europe Summit, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dubrovnik, Croatia October 9, 2024. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a long-term cooperation deal with Croatia on Wednesday ahead of a Ukraine-South East Europe summit in Dubrovnik where he plans to discuss international efforts to bring peace closer.
Zelenskiy met Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to sign the 10-year bilateral agreement on cooperation and Croatia's support to Ukraine.
"Together, we will develop cooperation between our defence industries. Croatia will continue to provide equipment and share expertise in humanitarian demining," Zelenskiy said on X.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Croatia has already allocated 11 military packages for Kyiv.
Zelenskiy said he also planned to discuss cooperation on Ukraine's path to joining the European Union and NATO with the 12 countries at the summit, the third such meeting that has been held.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko, Aleksandar Vasovic and Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Alison Williams)
