Croatia’s president gives no consent to participation in NATO mission in support of Ukraine

The President of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, says he will not consent to deploying military personnel of the country's Armed Forces to participate in the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) mission.

The leader stated this in an address to the nation, Ukrinform reports with reference to HRT.

"As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces I will not allow the participation of members of our armed forces in this kind of mission, which could potentially have harmful consequences on Croatia's national interests, regardless of the fact that government earlier, of its own volition, assumed this obligation in Croatia's name, knowing full well that it did not have my approval, and that by doing so they were in breach of the constitution," Milanovic said.

According to the president, Croatia is helping Ukraine and will continue doing so. However, he added, this assistance cannot come in the form of any participation of service members of the Croatian Armed Forces. "As long as I am President and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, I will not allow the participation of Croatian soldiers in these kinds of activities. Because this represents a departure from Croatia’s national interests and potentially threatens all of its people," he emphasized.

At the same time, as Balkan Observer reports, Milanovic publicly condemned Russian aggression as a "violation of international law", calling it "unacceptable".

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković called President Zoran Milanović's decision a manipulation that "undermines Croatia's international posture." According to him, on the part of the president, "this is a political approach aimed at spreading lies." It was about the proposal of the Ministry of Defense to deploy five Croatian army officers in Germany as part of NSATU (NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine), explained the prime minister.

"Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the victim. We need to help the friendly nation," Plenkovic emphasized.

According to the Croatian Constitution, the government can ask the Croatian parliament to vote on a proposed decision, and if two-thirds of lawmakers support it, the decision shall enter into force and the president must agree to it.

As reported, the decision to launch the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) mission to coordinate the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine by Allies and partners was adopted at the NATO summit in Washington this July.

Last year, Milanovic claimed that Ukraine was unlikely to ever regain control of the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed by Russia, and that the efforts by Western partners to supply arms to Ukraine "will only prolong the war." He also criticized the EU's policy toward Ukraine, noting that he does not want his country to face the "devastating" consequences of war.