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Ukraine. Ukraine’s place is not in Nato, the Croatian president added.
Plenkovic was quick to point out that his statement did not represent Croatia’s official position. Ukraine’s foreign ministry responded by summoning the Croatian ambassador to the country to lodge a complaint about Milanovic’s words. A few days later, it emerged that Milanovic has been included in an online list of enemies of Ukraine compiled by the Myrotvorets website.
Since then, the long-time political opponents also argued in March over
a decision by Milanovic to ban military flights above the capital Zagreb
and other cities, and more recently Plenkovic argued that Milanovic has pro-Russian views. Most recently, Milanovic said he wants to block Nato membership for Sweden and Finland, calling it a “very dangerous adventure”.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Top politicians in Bosnia & Herzegovina are also divided over the approach
to the conflict. While the Bosniak
and Croat members of the country’s tripartite presidency back sanctions
on Russia, opposition by Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has thwarted plans to sanction the invading country. The position is not surprising, as Dodik has long boasted about his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As well as preventing Bosnia from taking sanctions action, this adds to the internal tensions within Bosnia, already seen at the time of the invasion as being in a dangerous situation with potential for destabilisation. Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, the EU policing
pro-Russian Democratic Front. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, thousands of supporters of the Democratic Front – some of them carrying flags of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk within Ukraine – blocked roads across Montenegro.
Despite these tensions, Montenegro announced early on that it was imposing sanctions against Russia, though the government only adopted the sanctions on April 8, six weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They included a ban on Russian state-controlled news outlets Russia Today and Sputnik. Podgorica has also
whether the government is doing enough and how it handles the domestic crisis caused by soaring food and fuel prices.
Kosovo
Its independence having been supported by Nato in the face of Russian opposition, Kosovo has been seeking ways to join Nato and the EU since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Measures taken by the government
in Pristina include freezing of assets and a ban on access and operations in the financial market of sanctioned individuals or entities in Kosovo,
a ban on the broadcasting of Russian
force in Bosnia was almost doubled a precautionary measure.
Montenegro
as
expelled several Russian diplomats. Montenegro’s current leadership, President Milo Djukanovic and the newly elected Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who heads a minority government, are firmly pro-western.
Firmly in the western camp
These internally divided nations contrast with the firmly pro-western positions
of states like Albania, Kosovo and Romania, where there is broad cross- party support for sanctions on Russia.
Romania
The war has brought Russian forces close to its border, and Romania – like Moldova and other frontline states – has received tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. Nato support for Romania has been stepped up since the outbreak of war as the alliance bolsters its eastern flank. In terms of economic support, Romania is making its Black Sea ports available to Ukrainian grain exporters who can no longer use the ports in their own country.
Albania
In Albania, the usually antagonistic government and opposition agree Tirana must back Ukraine – with political debate mainly concerning
propaganda in Kosovan media and a travel ban for sanctioned individuals.
North Macedonia
North Macedonia too is a Nato member and EU candidate country that backs western sanctions against Ukraine, resulting in its inclusion on Russia’s list of ‘enemy countries’. The government’s position has broad cross-party support, with only one parliamentary party
– the opposition Levica, the Left – maintaining a pro-Russian position.
Slovenia
Slovenia’s outgoing Prime Minister Janez Jansa has been a staunch and vocal supporter of Ukraine. Slovenian politicians have called for stronger EU sanctions against Russia and
for Ukraine’s entry to the EU, while Ljubljana has expelled dozens of Russian diplomats since the start of the war. In March, Jansa joined the prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia on a visit to Kyiv to show support for Zelenskiy.
Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) lost the April 24 general election to the green-left Freedom Movement after a campaign during which the war
Montenegro has a vocal pro-Russian segment of the population, and the county has long been torn between its aspiration to join the EU versus ties with Russia and Serbia. At the time of the invasion the former government
of Zdravko Krivokapic was backed by
a broad coalition of parties including the
“Polls show that Bulgaria’s previously pro-Russian population has turned against Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, since the invasion"
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