President staunchly against Croatian support for NATO mission to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has taken a catastrophic turn from the very beginning, "for which we are all responsible", declared President Zoran Milanović on Tuesday in Montenegro and reiterated that NATO was entering the war in Ukraine with its new NSATU mission.

"From day one, the war has developed in a direction that is undesirable and catastrophic for Ukraine. Half a million people have been killed or wounded, and now what? Are another 50,000 people to be killed or maimed? Will that satisfy anyone's appetite - be it Washington or Moscow - is that enough?" Milanović asked, referring to NATO's latest mission, Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, which he had previously described as NATO's entry into the war.

"All of us - myself included - have brought Ukraine into this catastrophic situation. The country is destroyed and this must stop as soon as possible," emphasised Milanović at a joint press conference after the Brdo-Brijuni Process summit.

He called on "those who want war" to send their own children to fight. He called for the conflict to be resolved diplomatically and warned that it would not end well for those who waged it on the Western side.

"NATO is getting involved in that conflict now after two-and-a-half years? So far, NATO as an institution has had no legal or formal presence in Ukraine. Now they've decided to join? Well, I say, go ahead. But as long as I am the president and the commander-in-chief, and while the vast majority of Croatian people feel the same way, I will not sign that order," said the president.

The NSATU mission was decided at the Washington Summit in July this year. The mission will consist of around 700 personnel from NATO member states and partner countries, with the entire operation being coordinated from Wiesbaden.

In recent days, a disagreement has broken out between Milanović and the government, which wants to send up to five officers to participate in NSATU. The government claims that the activities will be carried out in Germany, while Milanović believes that Croatian soldiers will also be sent to Ukraine.

"Whoever tries to hide this is misleading the public, because citizens have a right to know," Milanović said.

The proposal on training support for Ukraine, which Milanović rejects, will now be submitted to the Croatian parliament, where a two-thirds majority is required for approval.