Croatian parliamentarians narrowly rejected a proposal on Friday for their country to join an EU mission to support Ukraine’s army after hours of heated debate that reflected deep differences between the country’s prime minister and president, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

The proposal required a two-thirds majority to pass, which would mean up to 100 Ukrainian military personnel would be trained in Croatia over the next two years. President Zoran Milanovic, who is the Supreme Commander of the Croatian Armed Forces, opposed the proposal.

Of the 107 deputies who voted in the 151-seat parliament, 97 supported the decision, and ten were against it.

Opposition lawmakers said they did not want to be held hostage by differences between mainstream political leaders and said the basic law did not require a parliamentary vote on matters normally decided by the president in consultation with the government.

Contrale president – prime minister on this occasion

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in October, the EU agreed to launch a Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) and appointed a Polish general to lead the training program, which will take place mainly in Poland.

President Zoran Milanovych refused to consider the government’s proposal to join Croatia in EUMAM Ukraine. He said that Croatia should not participate in the war and that the proposal would violate the Constitution because it does not clarify the grounds for declaring Ukraine an ally, as it is neither a member of the EU nor NATO. .

The government sent the proposal to parliament, hoping to get the two-thirds majority needed to make decisions on military matters.

“Participation in this military mission is a rational, principled and consistent decision of Croatia, it is in its national interests,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said before the vote, rejecting criticism of violation of legal procedures.

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