He regularly rails against Western sanctions against Russia and speaks of a ‘proxy war’ between NATO and the US against Russia in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. Now Croatian President Zoran Milanović has sparked outrage with statements about Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the former prime minister criticized planned supplies of main battle tanks from Germany and other EU countries. In doing so, the social-democratic politician emphasized: “Crimea will never again become part of Ukraine.” Milanovic gave the “precedent” of Kosovo as the reason. “We annexed Kosovo. The international community, including us. It was taken from Serbia by force (…) It was not an annexation, it was a kidnapping, part of the Serbian territory was taken away,” he said Milanovic.
Kyiv: Milanovic questions territorial integrity
The head of state stressed that he was not questioning Kosovo, but the whole concept “where you think you can do anything when it suits you, but if the other side does it, then it’s a crime”. For Kiev, these statements are “unacceptable”. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Milanovic for questioning the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
“I wonder if Zoran Milanovic with such rhetoric in the 1990s, when Croatia was fighting to keep its state, would have become its country’s president? Would his voters agree to turn a blind eye to the occupation of part of their country? I doubt it,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook. He thanked the Croatian government and people for their “unwavering support”.
The president’s own head of government is also not happy with the president’s statements. According to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, recent statements of Milanovicthat he sinks deeper and deeper into a swamp. The president comes “from worst to worst,” Plenković noted. With his foreign policy statements, especially those about the war in Ukraine and now also about Kosovo, lies Milanovic not aligned with the Croatian government.
Praise from Serbia
As expected, praise came from Belgrade. Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić welcomed the statement as a “principled attitude to international law that guarantees the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every state”. He added that international order in Kosovo had been destroyed.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
