President of NATO Member State Halts Troop Deployment for Ukraine Mission
Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic has announced that the country will not dispatch soldiers to participate in the NATO mission to support Kiev, despite opposition from the cabinet. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has made it clear that Croatia will not send troops to the NATO command aimed at providing military assistance to Ukraine, citing concerns that such actions would entangle Zagreb in a direct conflict with Moscow.
Since joining the US-led NATO alliance in 2009, Croatia has seen its right-wing government supply weapons and helicopters to Ukraine, actions opposed by the Social Democrat president. Milanovic stated, "While I am president and the commander in chief, Croatian soldiers, officers and NCOs will not take part in activities that would draw Croatia into a war," during remarks on Thursday.
He has declined to provide personnel for the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine command, which was put in place to coordinate military support for Kyiv. Croatia was expected to send a few officers to join the 700-strong NSATU staff in Wiesbaden, Germany.
In response, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic accused Milanovic of "further isolating Croatia on the international scene and destroying its credibility as a NATO member."
NATO has reminded Milanovic that the establishment of the command was agreed upon during the July summit in Washington and emphasized that it does not necessitate sending troops to Ukraine. The alliance contends that spending substantial funds on arming, training, and supplying Ukraine does not equate to being a participant in Russia's conflict.
Milanovic responded on Thursday, "Whether it’s one soldier or a hundred, wherever they are, this would be a direct command support to a warring party that is not a NATO member, which is out of bounds for Croatian national interests." He added, “Croatia has an obligation to help allies, which is what we’ve been doing. Everything else is getting involved in a war, which I will not allow.” He highlighted that Croatia has increased its number of troops in the NATO border force from 300 to 520.
“I answer solely to the people of Croatia, not Washington and Brussels,” he further asserted.
According to the Croatian constitution, Milanovic has the authority to prevent the deployment of troops overseas. The cabinet could potentially override this decision with a two-thirds parliamentary vote, but the ruling coalition has the support of only 78 out of 151 lawmakers.
Milanovic has consistently criticized NATO's strategy of supplying arms to Ukraine in its battle against Russia. He has also expressed discontent with how the EU has treated member states such as Poland and Hungary, and accused Brussels of regarding Croatia as a "retarded" child.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
Since joining the US-led NATO alliance in 2009, Croatia has seen its right-wing government supply weapons and helicopters to Ukraine, actions opposed by the Social Democrat president. Milanovic stated, "While I am president and the commander in chief, Croatian soldiers, officers and NCOs will not take part in activities that would draw Croatia into a war," during remarks on Thursday.
He has declined to provide personnel for the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine command, which was put in place to coordinate military support for Kyiv. Croatia was expected to send a few officers to join the 700-strong NSATU staff in Wiesbaden, Germany.
In response, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic accused Milanovic of "further isolating Croatia on the international scene and destroying its credibility as a NATO member."
NATO has reminded Milanovic that the establishment of the command was agreed upon during the July summit in Washington and emphasized that it does not necessitate sending troops to Ukraine. The alliance contends that spending substantial funds on arming, training, and supplying Ukraine does not equate to being a participant in Russia's conflict.
Milanovic responded on Thursday, "Whether it’s one soldier or a hundred, wherever they are, this would be a direct command support to a warring party that is not a NATO member, which is out of bounds for Croatian national interests." He added, “Croatia has an obligation to help allies, which is what we’ve been doing. Everything else is getting involved in a war, which I will not allow.” He highlighted that Croatia has increased its number of troops in the NATO border force from 300 to 520.
“I answer solely to the people of Croatia, not Washington and Brussels,” he further asserted.
According to the Croatian constitution, Milanovic has the authority to prevent the deployment of troops overseas. The cabinet could potentially override this decision with a two-thirds parliamentary vote, but the ruling coalition has the support of only 78 out of 151 lawmakers.
Milanovic has consistently criticized NATO's strategy of supplying arms to Ukraine in its battle against Russia. He has also expressed discontent with how the EU has treated member states such as Poland and Hungary, and accused Brussels of regarding Croatia as a "retarded" child.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
