Croatian President Zoran Milanović has criticized Western arms sales to Ukraine.
He also infuriated his own prime minister.
Zagreb — Croatia, the youngest NATO member, considers supplying western main battle tanks in the Ukraine war “crazy” – at least according to its President Zoran Milanović.
Vladimir Putin's military cannot be defeated on the battlefield, he said Monday (January 30), according to the AP news agency.
"It only prolongs the fighting."
Then Milanović came to speak of the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia: "It is clear that Crimea will never belong to Ukraine again." Kiev reacted promptly: Milanović's statement was "unacceptable," said a foreign ministry spokesman, according to the Russian news agency
Tass
with.
"It is clear that Crimea will never belong to Ukraine again."
Zoran Milanovic
Milanović also defended the lack of Croatian military aid to Ukraine in front of media representatives.
Referring to the federal government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he said, according to a
CNN
reporter: "German tanks in Russia - good luck with that." Last week he said that "Russia is settling scores with the Americans via Ukraine," and that the war between Washington and Moscow will be settled.
Croatian President Zoran Milanović: from liberal to populist
At the beginning of his presidency in 2019, Milanović was considered.
as more left-liberal.
Since then, observers have acknowledged a turn towards populism and Putin friendliness, which he has repeatedly denied.
He spoke out against Finland and Sweden joining NATO, training Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia and the West's political course towards the Kremlin.
In Croatia, the President has primarily representative tasks;
formally, however, Milanović is the supreme commander of the armed forces.
The Croatian government with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was irritated by his recent statements.
It supports Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.
Plenkovic said after Milanović's statements that they "damage Croatia's foreign policy position,"
AP
reported .
"Basically, they would mean this: Let's sit back and let Russia steal I-know-how many thousands of square kilometers from Ukraine and forget about NATO expansion," he rebuked his president.
(frs)