The President of Croatia refused to send military personnel on a mission to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces

The Croatian Army will not participate in NATO’s security and training activities for Ukraine. This decision was made by the head of state, Zoran Milanović.

This information was reported by the Office of the President of Croatia.

According to the press release, the country’s government requested the president’s consent for Croatian Armed Forces personnel to participate in several NATO, European Union, and United Nations missions, operations, and activities. Milanović approved participation in 12 missions, including NATO’s KFOR operation and the NATO mission in Iraq.

However, “the President of the Republic did not give prior consent for the participation of Croatian Armed Forces representatives in NATO’s security and training support activities for Ukraine. The government wants to send Croatian military personnel on a mission to support Ukraine, but the implementation of such a decision falls under the jurisdiction of the president, as the supreme commander of the armed forces. He decided, within his constitutional powers, not to give consent for Croatia’s participation in a mission that could potentially harm the national interests of the Republic. According to the Constitution, the government can request the Croatian Parliament to vote on the proposed decision, and if two-thirds of the parliament members support it, the decision will be enacted, and the president will be required to accept it,” the statement reads.

Milanović believes that “despite the substantial military aid Ukraine is receiving, there is no end in sight to the war, and there is a threat that the conflict could spread beyond Ukraine.”

The Office of the President of Croatia justified his position by stating that Milanović’s primary task is “to protect Croatia from war and take all necessary measures to keep it out of military conflicts.”

This decision follows Hungary’s recent statement that the European Union is planning to send military instructors and advisors to Ukraine, a process that Budapest intends to block.

This summer, the Czech Republic decided not to send its military instructors to Ukraine.