Croatian president rejects troop deployment to Ukraine, rebukes PM’s volunteer coalition role

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic reiterated his opposition to sending troops to Ukraine, saying the country will not take part in any such deployment despite Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s participation in a recent “Coalition of Volunteers” meeting.

In a social media post, Milanovic criticized Plenkovic for joining an online summit of the group, which includes countries that have declared readiness to send troops to Ukraine.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) hold a joint press conference during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference at the La Nuvola Convention Center in Rome, Italy on July 10, 2025.(AA Photo)

“Croatia is a member of the European Union and NATO and has obligations only stemming from those alliances,” Milanovic said. “The government does not have the authority to push Croatian soldiers into the war in Ukraine. I was elected by the people of Croatia, and my position is clear: Croatian soldiers will not be drawn into someone else’s war.”

Milanovic has repeatedly voiced opposition to deploying Croatian forces to Ukraine, stressing that the country is not bound by political or military agreements made by the so-called Coalition of Volunteers.

August 18, 2025 02:41 PM GMT+03:00