Croatia's Defense Minister, Mario Banozic, and his counterpart from Kosovo, Armend Mehaj, had a virtual meeting on Thursday, the ministry said, in which they condemned the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine in the "harshest of terms," Croatia's defence ministry said in a press release.

Banozic and Mehaj agreed that “a stable and prosperous Ukraine is in the strategic interest of the entire European continent.”

“As a Nato member country which was a victim of aggression itself thirty years ago, Croatia expresses full solidarity and support. We firmly stand with Ukraine, its independence, and territorial integrity,” Banozic was quoted as saying.

Banozic and Mehaj “once again confirmed the two countries’ excellent bilateral relations and touched on the security situation in Southeast Europe,” the press release said, adding that “Mehaj commended the excellence and professionalism of Croatian troops participating in Nato’s KFOR operation in Kosovo, this contributing towards preserving peace and stability.”

Croatia has around 130 soldiers stationed in Kosovo as part of KFOR, which in total involves close to 3,800 troops from 28 countries.