Newsletters
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said no new countries will likely join the European Union except possibly Montenegro, claiming other nations are being deceived with false promises while the bloc seeks concessions from them.
Speaking at a conference titled "Global Challenges and Political Environment" at the University North in Koprivnica, northern Croatia, Milanovic argued that countries are being told they will join the E.U. "to extract certain concessions from these countries."
The Croatian leader devoted much of his remarks to the war in Ukraine, describing it as a "war of attrition." He argued the conflict arose due to Europe's arrogant approach in imposing the thesis that every country must decide which military alliance or union to join, forcing Ukraine to definitively abandon cooperation with Russia.
Milanovic emphasized that the European Union is no longer the force it once was, stating: "Europe goes to China and gives speeches about human rights there, but we don't talk about how sales of European-made cars have seriously declined. Today the main actors on the global stage are the U.S. and China."
He added that "Europe no longer has resources. It is not a leader in innovation and knowledge production."
The Croatian president also criticized U.S. policies toward Gaza and unconditional support for the Israeli regime, saying the terror currently applied to the Palestinian people is a result of this support. "The white man needs to understand as soon as possible that he is no longer at the center of the world. This happening will be better for all of us," Milanovic said.
In his speech, Milanovic recalled a widely resonant quote from former Bolivian President Evo Morales: "Why has there never been a coup in the U.S.? Because there is no U.S. embassy there."
The reference harks back to 2008, when Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador from Bolivia amid suspicions that the United States had long been interfering in his country's internal affairs. At the time, Morales had said: "Wherever there is a U.S. ambassador, there is a coup."
The Croatian leader's comments reflect growing criticism within some European circles about both E.U. expansion policies and U.S. foreign influence operations worldwide.
1 min read
