Plenković: Croatia will continue to help Ukraine, but will not send troops

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković participated in a meeting in Paris dedicated to peace and security in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron gathered leaders of about 30 countries at the Elysee Palace, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Prime Minister said that these are countries that strongly support Ukraine, politically, diplomatically, financially, humanitarianly and militarily.

Today, the peace process was discussed in Paris, and President Zelensky informed the participants of the meeting about the talks in the Ukraine-US format so far.

“He expressed the desire to achieve a ceasefire and for it to be functional, a ceasefire in the air and at sea and a ceasefire that will enable the cessation of Russian attacks on infrastructure. Unfortunately, so far, it has not been shown in practice that the other side adheres to it,” said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković from Paris.

“Today, there were a lot of countries here that want to continue helping Ukraine, as Croatia will do, without having the ambition to send its army to Ukrainian territory, which I have also made clear. However, this means that the Croatian government, as it has done so far with 12 packages of military aid, will continue to provide strong support to Ukraine, because we believe that only a strong Ukraine, politically strong, but also militarily strengthened, can be an equal participant in the upcoming negotiations,” he added.

He said that today's discussion was also a discussion on the security architecture of Europe.

“As a young country, it is extremely important for Croatia to be at the table where decisions are made on issues related to our freedom, our security, our economic and social stability, because let us remember, yesterday the government adopted a package of measures to help our citizens and the economy. If it were not for the Russian aggression against Ukraine, all these problems would not exist at this moment. Therefore, we cannot pretend that this broader process does not reflect on our security and on our economic and social situation,” said the Prime Minister.

Plenković said that Croatia will advocate for respect for international law in terms of achieving lasting and stable peace.

“We are all for peace, there are no dilemmas and on that side the general consensus was at the table. However, this also means that none of us, and certainly not Croatia, will recognize the illegal occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia and the inclusion of those Ukrainian regions in Russia's constitutional and legal order,” he said.

He emphasized that in the future he will make sure that we participate in all international initiatives that are important for peace, and that we use our experiences.

Plenković also said that this expanded format will most likely continue in the future at the highest political and diplomatic level.

European countries are far from a decision on sending military forces to Ukraine

Plenković said that European leaders are still far from a decision on sending military forces to Ukraine. He stressed that the key prerequisite for the participation of any country on the territory of Ukraine in ensuring peace is the achievement of a ceasefire and even a peace plan.

“There are several scenarios here. One scenario that would be acceptable to both Ukraine and Russia is to allow the arrival of a UN mission, possibly under the auspices and on the international legal foundations of the United Nations, in which there would likely be soldiers who do not come from either the EU or NATO countries and who would be closest to the dividing line,” the Prime Minister explained.

“What is being discussed here, especially among those countries that are ready to help ensure peace in this way, is that it should be assistance to Ukraine, primarily a strong, large and powerful Ukrainian army. Secondly, the participation of those countries that have the capacity and political will to go to Ukraine and to be a kind of guarantee and deterrent for further Russian aggression against Ukraine in the western part of the country. Of course, with everyone's wish for the support of the United States of America to be in the background,” added Plenkovic.

He pointed out that today the topic was only discussed in principle, politically.

“We will talk about it when the conditions are met; today they are not there yet,” said the Prime Minister.

Plenković says that Russia's main goal in the negotiations it is conducting with the United States is to bring disunity within NATO and the EU and to re-establish its dialogue with Washington, and through that dialogue to completely rehabilitate its international position.

“In this process, it is more important for Russia to return to the international scene than it is interested in the details and nuances of the truce and peace agreement,” he said.

As for the American position, Plenković says that American President Donald Trump wants to present himself to the public as a peacemaker, and whether that peace will be just in Ukraine or in Gaza is less important to him.

Plenković: We have not undertaken to send Croatian soldiers to Ukraine

“The Croatian government pursues a consistent and principled policy and would like the country's president, Zoran Milanović, to join it,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday in Paris.

“The Croatian government leads a consistent and principled policy, based on international law, on our experience, on helping the victim, and we will continue to do so. We would like the President of the Republic and the opposition, which on two occasions was not ready to raise their hands for our modest participation in the European military assistance mission to Ukraine, to join us in what we deeply believe is a completely correct policy,” said Plenković.

Asked to comment on Milanović's statement that he did not consult him before going to the peace summit in Ukraine in Paris, Plenković said that Milanović did not consult him either when he made statements in Podgorica.

“The meeting to which I was invited was held in a broader format and what we are saying here and otherwise and will continue to say is that we have not made any commitments to send Croatian soldiers. These are topics that deserve serious discussion and argumentation. He does not ask us either when he makes statements like those in Montenegro, so that is reciprocity for you,” said Plenković.

Milanović said during his visit to Podgorica that Russia has made mistakes in many things, but that it does not pose a threat to Europe.

Plenković said that Milanović has had a divergent position on Ukraine from the beginning in relation to the government. I have never heard from him that he strongly condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine, that he expressed understanding and support for the victim, nor has he visited any of the Ukrainian wounded that we regularly receive,” said Plenković.

Plenković rejected the thesis that he and Milanović are arguing, emphasizing that untruths are being put into the public that no one is exposing.

“It all depends on whether someone is arguing, but this is not an argument, this is the topic of serious positioning of Croatia as a member state of NATO and the European Union, which has wanted this from the beginning and then we should behave accordingly,” he said.

He emphasized that it is precisely thanks to membership in these two organizations that Croatia has managed to realize numerous development projects and strengthen the army.

Source: HRT