Unlike the other 26 member states of the European Union, Croatia says no. After divisive debates, the Parliament of this small country in Eastern Europe, also a member of NATO, voted against the reception of Ukrainian soldiers with a view to training them. Only 97 deputies out of 151 approved the project, less than the two-thirds majority necessary for its adoption of the measure. Representatives unfavorable to the program have claimed that it would make Croatia a “target” for Moscow. An argument widely hammered by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, also army chief.
“It means bringing war to Croatia. We are fair and united and that’s all,” said the president, whose role is honorary. “Training a combat force for a war in a third country must be approved by me. There are limits to common sense and national security. Those who support this idea [de formation] should go fight in Ukraine if they are so brave,” he added.
60% of Croats opposed
In Croatia, the idea is not really more popular among citizens. According to a recent poll, almost 60% of Croats oppose the reception of Ukrainian soldiers; 30% are in favor of it. Conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, whose government has come out in favor of welcoming around 100 Ukrainian soldiers, accused the president of having “pro-Russian opinions”. The decision is “to choose between Ukraine and the regime (of Russian President Vladimir) Putin”, he hammered.
This is not the first time that the Croatian president has positioned himself against the international community, particularly on the issue of the war in Ukraine. Last May, for example, he declared that he would block the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO – a threat that was never carried out. He was also cautious about sanctions against Russia, saying they “don’t really work”.
15,000 soldiers trained elsewhere in Europe
In mid-October, the 27 Member States of the EU announced, during the Council of Foreign Ministers, the creation of a mission to assist in the training of Ukrainian soldiers. This is a program called “EUMAM Ukraine“, supposed to train nearly 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers in different Member States to help them fight Russia. Objective of the training: learning mine clearance, anti-aircraft defense or artillery. These training courses are in addition to those already offered, since June, by the United Kingdom with the help of a number of European armies, including Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark.
France should welcome some 2,000 soldiers as part of this training. These soldiers “will be assigned to our units for several weeks”, explained the French Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu. The training will cover three levels: a first “combatant generalist”, a second “on specific needs reported by the Ukrainians, such as logistics”, and “a third level on the equipment provided”. In an interview with our colleagues from Parisianthe minister had made a point of recalling that this device was done “by respecting the rules of law, without ever being in cobelligerence”, France being “not at war”.