NATO deputy chief visits Croatia amid political rift over Ukraine
The leaders of the European Union and NATO member nation have been quarrelling for weeks over sending officers to the alliance's mission in Germany to train Ukraine soldiers.
It prompted the government to invite Ruge to talk to lawmakers and answer questions on NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU).
Populist President Zoran Milanovic, who has limited powers but is the armed force commander, earlier this month refused to back a government proposal on sending the officers to the mission.
Milanovic, who repeatedly condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine and pledged humanitarian help to Kyiv, argued he wanted to "protect Croatia from possible involvement in war".
Conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who labels the president pro-Russian, said that the move "tarnished Croatia's credibility in both EU and NATO".
The parliament's vote to reverse the president's decision was cancelled last week as the government failed to assure a required two-third majority backing.
NATO will not tell Croatia what it should do as "it is your sovereign decision", Ruge on Wednesday told a meeting of a group of Croatian MPs, largely boycotted by the opposition that is siding with the president.
NSATU will not operate in Ukraine but a "limited number of officers" might go there temporarily, NATO's acting deputy secretary general said, according to state-run HINA news agency.
But Croatia can make clear that its officers should not be sent to Ukraine, Ruge said and added NSATU would not turn NATO into a warring party.
Twenty-eight out of NATO 32 member states confirmed their participation, according to Ruge.
In late 2022, Croatian MPs did not back training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia under an EU programme.
However, the country is strongly backing Kyiv and has given mostly military aid totalling 300 million euros ($326 million) to Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion.
Earlier this month, Croatia hosted a Balkans leaders summit on Ukraine that was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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