Russian Foreign Ministry Says NATO Countries Did Not Assume Obligation To Protect Ukraine

Following a political split of opinion over Ukraine in Croatia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that NATO member states had not taken on the obligation to protect Ukraine

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2022) Following a political split of opinion over Ukraine in Croatia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that NATO member states had not taken on the obligation to protect Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, a former leader of the country's social democrats and a critic of the center-right government, said that Croatia would withdraw its military from NATO forces in Eastern Europe in the event of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry opposed Milanovic's statement as contradicting the official position of Croatia and demanded a retraction. On Wednesday, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic apologized to Ukraine and called Milanovic's statement "nonsense," as there are no Croatian troops in Ukraine and those stationed in Poland returned to Croatia at the end of routine deployment.

"For all I know, NATO and its member states have not taken on obligations to protect Ukraine. It has been repeatedly highlighted by the alliance's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, among others. Ukraine is only a partner to NATO, it does not fall under article 5 of the Washington Treaty on the collective defense of NATO countries," Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department Deputy Director Alexey Zaytsev said in a briefing.

The eighth Croatian contingent, consisting of 80 soldiers, returned home from Poland on Monday. The Croatian Defense Ministry said that four officers remained in Poland as a part of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Poland, established in 2017 to strengthen the alliance's defense and deterrence posture in the country.

The ministry has yet to announce the date of placement of another unit in Poland.

EUROPEAN LAWMAKERS DISLIKE IDEA OF MILITARY ACTION

Some European lawmakers have told Sputnik that they welcomed Milanovic's statement on withdrawal of the country's forces, as Croatia should not act as an arbiter in conflicts.

"Croatia cannot and should not act as an arbiter in conflicts of far larger countries and economies. The whole world should strive for peace and diplomatic solutions. If any conflict or war occurs, the Croatian army should not have any part in it," Ivan Vilibor Sincic, a member of the European Parliament from Croatia, said.

Sincic added that "there were enough wars in the 20th century" and expressed the hope that other countries will not take part in the possible conflict.

"I am thankful for the decisions of the Croatian President, they clearly indicate that not all members of NATO and especially not all members of the EU agree on the current course of aggression and warmongering. I expect that more countries will follow, especially on the Balkans," Maximilian Krah, a member of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the United States and Subcommittee on Security and Defense from the German right-wing AfD party, said.

Krah highlighted that a "split over Ukraine is already a fact," as "countries like Estonia take a more aggressive stance while other members would prefer to choose diplomacy." The lawmaker added that NATO should reevaluate its priorities before this difference in countries' opinions becomes more evident.