ZAGREB, 3 March 2022 - Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman said on Thursday that pressure should be put on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his aides to convince them of the senselessness of the invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking in an interview with Media Service, Grlić Radman was asked if fear of a nuclear war was founded, to which he said that "we should act cautiously, but resolutely" towards Russia.
"We should use all the instruments of pressure through political diplomacy to convince Putin and his oligarchy, his closest aides of the senselessness of this political adventure," the Croatian foreign minister said. "We should also raise awareness of the Russian people. We can see a lot of protests in many cities, with people taking to the streets to oppose the Russian aggression," he added.
Grlić Radman said that the purpose of the sanctions was for "the Putin regime to feel the reaction on their own skin, rather than the Russian people, ordinary citizens."
As for the possibility of the Ukraine crisis spilling over to southeastern Europe, Grlić Radman said that "Serbia barely condemned the Russian invasion" and Belgrade signed the UN declaration on the Russian aggression under pressure.
"There could be a spillover of the conflict because of the fact that Kosovo is not recognized by Serbia, Russia, and some other countries, and because there are frozen conflicts in Russia's vicinity, notably in Moldova and Georgia. Therefore, a spillover can happen and we want to avoid it," the Croatian minister said.
He reiterated that Croatia supported the European membership prospects for Ukraine, as well as for the Western Balkan countries.
There are 23 Croatian nationals left in Ukraine, of whom ten are married to Ukrainians and do not want to leave the country. Croatian Ambassador Anica Djamić has left Kyiv and will continue her duties in the western city of Lviv, Grlić Radman said.
Croatia has taken in more than 600 Ukrainian refugees, and Grlić Radman said that Croatia would not have trouble accepting even hundreds of thousands of refugees.
Over 800,000 Ukrainians have so far fled the armed conflict in their country, most of them seeking refuge in Poland. Between 4 and 5 million people are expected to leave their homes.
Grlić Radman also said that the government was satisfied with the cooperation with President Zoran Milanović on this issue.
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