Ukraine aid critic wins EU state’s presidential election by landslide
Incumbent Croatian president, Zoran Milanovic, known for his critical stance on the EU and NATO and his opposition to Western aid to Ukraine, has secured a second term of office in a landslide election victory.
Milanovic garnered 74.68% of the vote in Sunday's presidential runoff, decisively defeating his rival from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Dragan Primorac, the country’s State Election Commission said on Monday.
Approximately 45% of about 3.5 million registered voters participated in the election, the commission reported.
“It's a plebiscite message from the Croatian people to all those who ought to hear it, and I ask that they listen,” Milanovic stated in his victory speech.
Milanovic has consistently criticized Zagreb’s support for Ukraine, describing the conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia. Last year, he exercised his presidential authority as head of the country's armed forces to block the deployment of five Croatian officers to the NATO mission in Germany.
He emphasized that he intends to be “an equal participant in matters of foreign policy… In matters of defense and security, I will serve as the Commander-in-Chief—not as an equal, but as the highest-ranking authority—because that is what the Constitution stipulates.”
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic had previously labeled Milanovic as “pro-Russian,” and “Putin’s poodle,” claiming he posed a threat to Croatia’s democracy and international standing.
Milanovic has refuted these accusations, asserting that his primary concern was to prevent Croatia from becoming entangled in the Ukraine conflict.
Since the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, the Croatian government has provided Ukraine with €300 million (around $306 million) in military aid, including deliveries of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
