Croatian Prime Minister Apologizes to Ukraine

According to the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrey Plenkovic, the statements by Croatia’s president, Zoran Milanovic, about withdrawing Zagreb soldiers from NATO's bloc deployments in Eastern Europe because of a full-blown conflict with Russia are nothing but senselessness.

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On Wednesday the Croatian PM made an effort for releasing the situation on Milanovic's remarks through his Twitter account. “Given the fact, none of our troops are in Ukraine, and the contingent stationed in Poland has already returned, I do not know what kind of military personnel the president is thinking about withdrawing,” he noted.

“I apologize to Ukrainians for such nonsense,” he stated, adding that his statements do not agree with the views of the government. Plenkovic’s statements came shortly after Milanovic decreed during a televised address, that Croatian troops would not continue being part of NATO contingents stationed in the region if escalated into fighting in the former Soviet republic.

“Not only will we not send the military, but if there is an escalation, we will recall every last Croatian military man,” the Croatian President disclosed. “This has nothing to do with Ukraine or Russia, it has to do with the dynamics of American domestic politics, [US President] Joe Biden and his administration, which I supported.”

After Milanovic’s announcement, he has been labeled as a Kiev-based ‘Peacemaker’ database for alleged “anti-Ukrainian activity,” as well as spreading “Kremlin propaganda” and justifying “Russian aggression.”

The Zagreb’s ambassador to Kiev, Anica Jamic also criticized Milanovic’s remarks, saying that the president “showed a disdainful and ungrateful attitude for the help that Ukraine and Ukrainians gave to Croatia during its struggle for independence, as well as in fighting the devastating fires last year.”

Milanovic’s comments followed the exacerbation in tensions between Moscow and Kiev, with several Western leaders sounding the alarm in recent weeks over allegations of a buildup of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine.