ZAGREB, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Croatian President Zoran Milanovic affirmed on Thursday that Croatian soldiers would not be involved in any activities that could drag the country into war during his term.
"As long as I am president and commander-in-chief, Croatian soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers will not take part in activities that push Croatia into war," Milanovic wrote on Facebook.
His statement came after the government accused him of blocking Croatian officers from participating in NATO training for Ukrainian soldiers. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on the same day that the president is undermining Croatia's international position by denying the government's proposal.
Plenkovic said that the president falsely misled the public about the possibility that Croatian soldiers would go to Ukraine, while in reality, the government's decision stated that only a few officers would go to Germany to participate in NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine.
According to President Milanovic, the NATO mission is directly supporting a warring party that is not a NATO member, which is not in Croatia's national interest. "Croatia has a duty to help only its allies, and we do that every day. Anything else is involvement in a war, which I have not allowed and will not allow," he wrote.
"I am accountable only to the Croatian people, not to Washington or Brussels - and that is how it will remain," he added.
Milanovic has previously voiced his opposition to Croatia's participation in the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia, claiming that it was legally doubtful.
Moreover, Milanovic has said that the United States and NATO were engaged in a proxy war against Russia through Ukraine, and slammed Western sanctions on Russia as absurd and useless. ■
