President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) | Photo: AP
president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought political and other support again on Wednesday (Oct 9, 2024) from a dozen countries in southeastern Europe at a summit in Croatia, whose president did not attend in a sign of divided views over the war with Russia.
Mr Zelenski is in Dubrovnik for a meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and other leaders. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic criticizes Western policy on the war as Croatia’s political leadership is divided over support for Ukraine.
“As long as I am president of Croatia, I will not sign Croatian soldiers to be present in Ukraine,” Mr Milanovic said on Tuesday (October 8, 2024), assuring that “NATO’s mission to train soldiers in Ukraine is nonsense. “
Mr Zelensky told X that “we will discuss international efforts to bring peace … our joint response with partners to security challenges, as well as cooperation on the way to the European Union and NATO”.
Kiev is still awaiting word from its Western partners on its repeated requests to use the long-range weapons they provide to strike targets on Russian soil.
Some Balkan countries supply Ukraine with short-range munitions. At a previous summit with south-eastern European countries in February, Mr Zelensky pleaded for more to fend off Russian advances.
In Dubrovnik, Mr Zelenski will sign an agreement with Croatia on further cooperation, particularly on humanitarian aid, demining and the war crimes judicial experience Croatia has from its own 1991-95 war.
Apart from Croatia, the summit is attended by prime ministers, presidents or foreign ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.
The government of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is the only one in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, although Vucic has repeatedly said that Serbia respects the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
Summit participants are expected to adopt a declaration condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and supporting Mr Zelensky’s peace efforts, Ukraine’s membership in NATO and its post-war reconstruction, the state of Croatia HRT said the television.
“Respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries is common to all South-Eastern European countries as a basis for peace in Europe after the end of the Second World War,” said Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović.
Published – 09 Oct 2024, 06:31 PM IST
