Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Friday, with regard to the situation with refugees from Ukraine, that Croatia would help as much as it could and as much as was needed.

“As for gas supply, we can rest assured. The gas supply system will function normally in Croatia, certainly until the end of the heating season,” Plenkovic said in an interview with HRT public broadcaster, answering how the sanctions against Russia would affect Croatia.

He recalled that the government had co-financed the construction of the LNG terminal on the northern Croatian island of Krk, providing Croatia with an alternative gas supply route, which ensured strategic independence in the long term and the possibility to cover all the needs of the economy and households with those gas quantities.

Asked whether the EU would have a unified response to the refugee crisis, since tens of thousands of refugees were heading to Europe, he said that the solidarity of all European leaders was undivided.

“At the moment, these are primarily the countries they are heading to: Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Everyone is making preparations and plans,” he said, adding that yesterday morning a cabinet meeting was held with representatives of homeland security, the Security and Intelligence Agency, the Interior Ministry, civil protection and the Red Cross.

“Everyone is on standby and they are here to help as much as they can and as much as needed,” Plenkovic said with regard to accepting refugees from Ukraine.

Plenkovic also said that refugees would be distributed evenly, adding that Croatia had experience with accepting refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s.

He was also asked whether the National Security Council would be convened soon to discuss the impact of the crisis, after President Zoran Milanovic said there was no need to rush and that it should be seen how the developments would unfold.

Plenkovic said it was important that they met as soon as possible and that he had told the president so by telephone.

“I was in the European Council meeting and he represented Croatia in the NATO video conference. I think it’s important that our views are mutually agreed. I think we spoke similarly, but not necessarily the same, and it is good that he has got closer to the firm and clear position that Croatia has maintained for years, which says that we must adhere to the fundamental principles and respect the sovereignty of states,” Plenkovic said.