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A time for unconventional leaders: Croatian assistance to Ukraine

With its remarkable post-conflict transformation, Croatia may have something unique to offer Ukraine at this critical juncture for European security. The Croatian government is punching above its weight in terms of humanitarian assistance, but the country will need to overcome serious domestic rifts and manage the failures of its transition to become a true geopolitical leader.

The first months of Donald Trump’s second term as US president have already put Ukraine’s existence and Europe’s prevailing security architecture at great risk. Trump’s style of foreign policy, including his undermining of long-held alliances and major international institutions, is creating a vacuum that may have to be filled by leaders in unlikely places. Croatia has the potential to be one of those leaders if Prime Minister Andrej Plenković wins out in a domestic political battle that exposes deep-seeded deficiencies in Croatian democracy.

May 5, 2025 - Alexandra Karppi - Hot TopicsIssue 3 2025Magazine

A rally in Zagreb to support Ukraine, three years after the Russian invasion. Photo: LVD photo/Shutterstock

Croatia’s longest-running prime minister and the head of the ruling party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Plenković’s pro-Brussels orientation belies a series of nasty corruption scandals in his party in recent years. These scandals have left Croatian citizens dissatisfied with their democracy and enamoured with their populist president, the leader of the opposing Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zoran Milanović, who has been compared to Trump himself. Despite the domestic hurdles, given how the country recovered from its own existential conflict 30 years ago, its voice may be more valuable now than ever before.

Two simultaneous battles

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