Croatian president at NATO summit: “We must know what we get for every euro”

(Photos: Ured predsjednika Republike Hrvatske / Dario Andrišek/NATO)

President Zoran Milanović participated in the NATO summit held in The Hague, where leaders discussed collective security policies and the future of defence spending.

Speaking to the media after the summit, President Milanović clarified that the joint statement discussed was not adopted during the meeting itself, but had been agreed upon beforehand.

“It was adopted a few days ago, as it always is. If there is no agreement beforehand, then we have a crisis. That did not happen this time, nor does it usually,” he said.

Commenting on the statement, he described it as brief and vague. “It is a very general document, mostly referring to defence spending in an unclear and non-committal way,” he said.

On the topic of increasing defence budgets to five percent of GDP, Milanović expressed scepticism.

“These are nominal figures. What matters is what I can actually get for my money. When I go shopping, I want to know what I can buy with that. If military equipment prices are rising unchecked, we are not doing a good job,” he warned.

(Photo: NATO)

The President emphasised that Croatia must be careful about value for money in defence procurement.

“We are here to plan and cooperate. We cannot leave this to market forces, private investors and shareholders to dictate prices due to limited suppliers,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of Croatia taking on new military obligations, Milanović said the subject had not come up.

“A brigade like that would cost six to seven billion euro. Do you realise how much money that is? That is about the same as the GDP of Montenegro not long ago,” he noted.

Touching on the geopolitical climate and atmosphere at the summit, Milanović remarked there was no flattery towards US President Donald Trump.

“I certainly did not flatter. I tried to be polite,” he said, adding that he disagrees with Trump’s stance on Israel, which he described as “catastrophic.”

He expressed regret for not raising the issue of Gaza during the summit but felt it would have made little difference due to the closed nature of the meetings. “What I wanted to say, I said,” he concluded.

Asked about his comments on Israel, Milanović replied: “Harsh? I think they were very mild, with triple-layer gloves.” He also made it clear that he has no intention of apologising. “Certainly not to the US or German presidents or prime ministers. That is out of the question.”

When asked what he would like to see Croatia do in relation to the Gaza crisis, Milanović answered: “Recognise Palestine.” He elaborated further: “We started with the idea of a homeland for the Jewish people after the Holocaust. The slogan was ‘a land without people for a people without land,’ but that land was not without people. A million Arabs and Muslims lived there. They were expelled and destroyed. Israel began its existence like that. We speak of Israel’s right to exist – what about the Palestinians’ right to their own state? That has been recognised in documents for seventy years. We cannot pretend it does not exist.”

He explained that his views are also shaped by being critical of Croatia’s own past. “I am strict about our history in the Second World War because that is right. And that gives me the moral duty to speak out when others act like bandits. Otherwise, we will be shamed for another hundred years.”