Croatia and Poland stand with the Ukraine people's just struggle for freedom and self-determination, the two countries' foreign ministers said in Warsaw on Friday.

Gordan Grlic-Radman of Croatia called the Russian invasion of Ukraine “an aggression on global security and the world order.”

“As EU and NATO member states, we stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their just struggle for freedom and self-determination,” he said at a joint press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau. Rau said the illegal and unprovoked Russian intervention in Ukraine was an unprecedented threat to Europe’s security.

Poland and Croatia will closely cooperate with the partners and allies in providing comprehensive assistance to Ukraine and in imposing strong sanctions against the Russian aggression, he added.

The two ministers said the war in Ukraine was a reminder of the importance of the Three Seas Initiative, which Croatia and Poland founded to link the infrastructures of central and east European countries, including their energy grids.

Grlic-Radman said he admired Poland for providing shelter to millions of refugees from Ukraine and for an “impressive reaction to the crisis.”

“Although to a lesser extent, Croatia, too, is providing support to the refugees and will send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the neighboring countries,” he added. He warned about the danger of the Ukraine crisis spilling over to the Western Balkans, saying that EU enlargement to this region is key.

“I would single out Bosnia and Herzegovina and the implementation of the necessary election law reform so that all sides respect peace agreements and international law,” Grlic-Radman said. Rau said Poland would promote European values in the Western Balkans and actively assist the countries on the European or Euro-Atlantic paths.