Croatian President Zoran Milanović has warned that some politicians within the European Union (EU) are fueling the risk of a direct confrontation with Russia, arguing that those who push for such a conflict would “run away” if war were to break out.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, Milanović criticized the idea of a “coalition of the willing” that would deploy Western military forces to Ukraine after the conflict ends. He described the proposal as “insufficiently developed, vague, and dangerous,” stressing that Croatia would not support such an initiative.
“There is no threat from Russia to the territory of the European Union, its security, its peace, or the lives of EU citizens. However, there are people within the EU whose hearts seem to beat for the outbreak of a conflict. They will start the conflict and then flee. And who do they want to mobilize for it—Croatians? That will not happen.”
The Croatian president also recalled that he had refused to authorize a ceremonial unit of the Croatian Armed Forces to participate in France’s Bastille Day military parade on July 14, arguing that such a move would effectively bring Zagreb closer to the proposed “coalition of the willing.”
Describing the current atmosphere as “psychological preparation for war,” Milanović continued:
“I am against Croatia taking part in such formations because what we are seeing now is part of the psychological preparation for a war with Russia. The European Union is not achieving any significant progress in academic, economic, social, or other fields. Instead, the Union is now talking almost exclusively about war and looking for ways to finance military production.”