Croatian Prime Minister Insists On Training Ukrainian Military

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic urged members of parliament on Tuesday to approve the country's participation in the European Union's military assistance program for Ukraine (EUMAM) by means of training Ukrainian military in Croatia.

The Croatian parliament will debate on Wednesday the defense ministry's proposal to train up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia from 2022-2024 under EUMAM. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has spoken against the initiative, but his supporters are outnumbered in parliament.

"As for the EU military assistance mission to Ukraine, our decision is in line with morality, international law and it also protects Croatia's interests.

We do the only thing right and possible. Otherwise it would be immoral and wrong," the Croatian prime minister said on Twitter.

NATO foreign ministers gathered for a summit in Romania on Tuesday. Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman said before the meeting that Zagreb remained committed to helping Kiev, which it has recently demonstrated by hosting a Crimea-related international event.

Moscow disapproves the EU's decision to create a training mission for the Ukrainian military, saying it escalates tensions and blocks the prospects for a negotiated solution.