Ukraine slams Croatian president’s “Crimea won’t return to Ukraine” statement

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the statement of Croatia's President Zoran Milanović that Crimea, occupied by the russian invaders, will never return to the control of Ukraine.

Rubryka reports, referring to Ukraine's statement, published by Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative noted that due to external aggression in the 1990s, Croatia could lose a third of its territory. However, it managed to protect its independence.

"I wonder if Zoran Milanović would've been able to become the president of his country with this rhetoric in the 1990s, when Croatia was fighting to preserve its statehood," Nikolenko commented.

The Ukrainian ministry considers the statements of the President of Croatia unacceptable. After all, such judgments actually called into question Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At the same time, Nikolenko emphasized that Ukraine appreciated and thanked the government of Croatia and the Croatian people for supporting Ukrainians in the fight against russian aggression.

What did Croatian President Milanović say?

On January 30, Croatian leader Zoran Milanović, while talking about Serbia and Kosovo, mentioned the annexation of Crimea.

"Crimea will never again be Ukraine. This is what leading German generals say," he stressed. The president of Croatia also added that thousands of people are currently dying in the war in Ukraine.

Milanović stated that he was against helping Ukraine with lethal weapons because, in his opinion, "it prolongs the war."

In addition, Milanović criticized Western countries for supplying Ukraine with heavy tanks and other weapons. At the same time, he emphasized that these supplies would only prolong the war. He also noted that "we are entering a war with a superpower" and that russia can use nuclear weapons.

Zoran Milanović said that from 2014 to 2022, russia was allegedly provoked to start the war. He stated that "russia is a dangerous country" and that, according to him, no one understands this.

As the Associated Press reports, Milanović won the presidential election as a liberal candidate in 2019.

But since then, he switched to populist nationalism and began criticizing the West's policy towards russia and the Balkan countries. Milanović created a reputation as a pro-russian politician, although he denies this.

The presidency in Croatia is mainly ceremonial, but Milanović is formally the supreme commander of the Croatian armed forces.