Milanović and Duda agree that Croatian and Polish soldiers will be deployed to Ukraine

The Polish President is on an official visit to Croatia at the end of his second mandate. Along with meeting with the Croatian President, he also met with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković.

President Zoran Milanović received his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in Zagreb on Tuesday. During their talks today, the two presidents agreed that while both countries are loyal to NATO, their respective soldiers will not fight in the territory of countries outside the alliance, specifically Ukraine. Milanović and Duda also discussed security cooperation, with Duda calling on Croatia to increase the number of its soldiers participating in the NATO mission in Poland. He also offered the assistance of the Polish border police in the fight against illegal migrants: “I am glad that Croatian soldiers are present in Poland. I have asked Mr. President to increase their number over time. We also talked about border security, especially the ongoing hybrid attacks from Belarus since 2021, which preceded the Russian aggression against Ukraine. I told President Milanović that we are in solidarity with each other - if Croatia needs help protecting its borders, we are ready to help."

President Duda went on to thank Croatia for its cooperation to date, and emphasized the importance of unity in NATO. For his part President Milanović emphasized that Croatia will remain loyal to its allies, but made it clear that Croatia will not send its soldiers to Ukraine: “We did not negotiate. We talked and exchanged ideas. We commented on the numerous - seemingly unsolvable - problems facing European security. Croatia and Poland cannot solve them alone. They will require a lot of time and patience.”

The two leaders also discussed strengthening European defense and new military purchases, such as South Korean K2 tanks.

Source: HRT