Croatian Premier brands his leader ‘Putin’s poodle’
Date
11/7/2024 7:36:10 AM
(MENAFN) Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has sharply criticized President Zoran Milanovic, calling him and his administration “Putin’s poodles” over their refusal to send Croatian troops to NATO’s Ukraine mission. The controversy has centered around the potential deployment of Croatian personnel to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), a mission established to coordinate military aid to Ukraine.
Under a NATO agreement reached in July, Croatia was expected to send two officers to the 700-strong NSATU team in Germany to help train Ukrainian soldiers. However, Milanovic, who is also the commander-in-chief of Croatia’s armed forces, has blocked the decision, arguing that such a move could “draw Croatia into a war.”
The Croatian ruling coalition has attempted to challenge Milanovic’s stance but has been unable to gather enough support in parliament to override his veto. Plenkovic, frustrated by the deadlock, accused Milanovic’s administration of siding with Russian interests, saying their refusal to help Ukraine is damaging Croatian democracy and undermining the country’s credibility as a NATO member.
The debate has sparked a fierce political divide, with some lawmakers, like MP Marijan Pavlicek, accusing Plenkovic of prioritizing Ukraine’s interests over Croatia’s. In late October, NATO’s acting deputy secretary-general, Boris Ruge, visited Zagreb to help resolve the issue, reaffirming that sending NATO troops to Ukraine would not make the alliance a party to the conflict, a point that Milanovic continued to reject, insisting that the deployment would be detrimental to Croatia’s national interests.
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