Zagreb, 14 July 2025 (Hina/MIA) -- NATO will not relent in providing support to Ukraine, and in that effort, Croatia is a "reliable and valuable ally," NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska has told Hina. The Macedonian official, who was appointed deputy secretary general in December, said Croatia’s commitment to NATO was "very clear."

"After Russia started the brutal war in Ukraine, you have been really an ally that supported Ukraine, not only in the financial and political sense, but also militarily... We value this and count on Croatia remaining to be a valuable ally," she said.

To date, Croatia has provided €245 million in direct humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine.

Support to Ukraine

Shekerinska, who attended the Dubrovnik Forum over the weekend, said NATO would not relent in providing support to Ukraine.

Russia "undermines" the international order, European security and NATO's main goal, "to have a safe Euro-Atlantic area," she said.

"This is why we have supported not only Ukrainians' right to territorial integrity and sovereignty, but also Ukraine's right and capacity to defend itself."

Just last year, NATO allies supported Ukraine even more than they pledged, "in total it was more than €50 billion in military assistance," she said. "In just the first six months of this year, NATO allies have contributed an additional €35 billion. This speaks volumes about our commitment and our support to Ukraine."

"We have developed a special NATO command in Wiesbaden in Germany to to coordinate the military assistance... with Ukraine. We have created a separate centre in Poland together with Ukraine, practically as partners, to learn from their experience in war," she said.

"A number of allies are now discussing the so-called Coalition of the Willing... to support Ukraine when the ceasefire happens... to make sure that the future peace is sustainable and just."

Trump is not endangering NATO

Many in Europe were concerned about whether US President Donald Trump, who can be unpredictable, was fully committed to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, but Shekerinska said there was no cause for concern.

"The summit conclusions have shown transatlantic unity in action.... What is clear after the summit is that there is a strong US commitment to NATO, but also that this commitment comes with expectations that European allies and Canada will do more in the future so that the alliance becomes fairer in terms of burden sharing."

At the summit, the allies agreed to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, thereby addressing Trump’s criticisms.

"It was very clear that Allies share the same threat assessment, but they also share the same view on how to deal with the threat, and this is through increased defense spending and developing significantly more ambitious capabilities. This is how you build a stronger Alliance and this is how you deter and defend yourself from your adversaries," said Shekerinska.

Compulsory military service

Croatia will introduce compulsory military service next year, and several other member states are considering doing the same.

"We trust our allies to pick the most suitable path as part of their sovereign decision making. Certain allies continue with their approach of building up a professional army, while some countries... are moving toward conscription. We have different approaches, but we trust our allies making the most appropriate choice for the circumstances in which they live,"  said Shekerinska.

NATO focuses on "the big picture," she said, adding that it is important to develop capabilities and support agreed plans, and that it is up to each country to decide how to achieve that.