Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has refused to approve the participation of Croatian soldiers in a Nato mission to support Ukraine, sparking a heated argument with the Croatian government. 

Milanovic justified his decision, saying he wants to avoid enlarging the conflict and potentially involving Croatia. Since the start of the war, he has been vocal in his opposition to efforts by the Croatian government to support Ukraine with military aid and has also questioned Western sanctions on Russia. 

He declined to approve the involvement of Croatian soldiers in Nato’s Activity for Security and Training Support to Ukraine (NSATU), despite initially giving his approval to a support package for Ukraine agreed by leaders of Nato member states during a summit in July, saying he was concerned about the potential spread of the conflict, and the need to prioritise Croatia’s safety. 

The package includes the establishment of NSATU, aimed at coordinating the provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine by its allies.

On October 1, Milanovic, refused to approve Croatia’s involvement in the mission, "which could potentially be harmful act on the national interests of the Republic of Croatia”, a statement from the presidency said. 

“Unfortunately, despite the huge military aid that Ukraine receives, the end of the war is not in sight, but there is a danger that the war will spread beyond the borders of Ukraine,” the statement says. 

“It is the task of the President of the Republic — and in his opinion also the task of all Croatian state institutions — to protect Croatia from war and to take all measures to keep Croatia out of war conflicts. This is precisely why the President of the Republic did not give prior consent to the decision on the participation of members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the mission of security and training support to Ukraine, being guided above all by Croatian interests and protecting Croatia from possible involvement in a war conflict.” 

The parliament can overturn Milanovic's decision with a two-thirds vote. 

Despite the mission only involving five Croatian soldiers, the issue has erupted into a major political dispute in Zagreb. Government officials slammed Milanovic’s decision, accusing him of falsely claiming that the soldiers would be sent to Ukraine. 

“By participating in the activities of NSATU, a total of up to 5 Croatian officers would go to Wiesbaden, which is in Germany, and not in Ukraine, in the period of 2024, 2025 and 2026,” a government statement says. 

The government says it issued the statement to “eliminate the completely untrue and malicious interpretations that the intention of participating in NATO's activity is to "send Croatian soldiers to Ukraine" or to "draw Croatia into a conflict with Russia" , which are lies that Zoran Milanović has been terrorising the public continuously for years”. 

Croatia’s stance on the Ukraine war has become an increasingly hot political topic as the presidential election approaches at the end of this year.