President Milanović after NATO Summit: Military Procurement Cannot Be Left to the Market
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović participated today in the NATO summit held in The Hague, where discussions and decisions focused on joint security policy and further increases in defense spending.
In a statement to the media following the summit, President Milanović emphasized that the joint declaration had not been adopted during the summit itself, but had been agreed upon beforehand: “It was finalized a few days ago—it’s never adopted here. These things are coordinated in advance, and if there’s no consensus, then we have a crisis. That didn’t happen this time, as it usually doesn’t.”
Commenting on the declaration, he said that it is a very brief and general document that “refers almost exclusively to defense spending in a very general way, which is rather vague and lacking in clear definition.”
Regarding the proposal to raise defense spending to five percent of GDP, President Milanović expressed scepticism about setting nominal targets without clearly defined real value: “That means very little—those are just nominal figures. What matters to me is how far I can get on my dollar. When I go shopping, what can I actually buy with it?” He cautioned that if military equipment prices keep soaring, “then we’re not doing a good job.”
The President stressed that Croatia must be mindful of the return on every euro invested and that military procurement cannot be left to free-market forces: “We’re here to plan and coordinate our joint efforts. We can’t just hand things over to private investors, investment funds, and shareholders to gouge us—selling us goods at inflated prices because of limited suppliers.”
On the topic of new capabilities or commitments Croatia might assume, President Milanović said: “There was no mention of that here. That brigade would cost six to seven billion euros. Do you realize how much money that is? That’s roughly what Montenegro’s nominal GDP was just yesterday.”
Touching on geopolitical dynamics and the atmosphere at the summit, he stated there was no room for sycophancy toward U.S. President Trump: “I wasn’t flattering him—rest assured. I tried to be polite.” He added that Trump’s support for Israel was “not good,” calling it “a disaster.”
Milanović expressed regret for not mentioning Gaza during the summit but believed it would have had no effect, given the closed nature of the meetings: “I said what I wanted to say.”
Asked about his reportedly strong criticism of Israel, he replied: “Strong? Very mild—spoken with three-layer gloves on.” He made it clear that he would not be answering to anyone for his views: “I certainly won’t be accountable to the American or German president or prime minister. That’s out of the question.”
When asked what he would like to see Croatia do in response to the Gaza crisis, President Milanović said: “Recognize Palestine!” He explained: “We began from the premise of the Jewish people’s right to a state after the Holocaust. ‘A land without a people for a people without a land’—that was the slogan. But it wasn’t a land without a people. A million Arabs, Muslims, lived there. They were driven out, exiled, destroyed. That’s how Israel began its existence. If we talk about Israel’s security and right to exist, what about the Palestinians’ right to have their own state? That’s been part of official documents for seventy years. We can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.” He went on to say that he is critical of his own nation’s history during World War II and feels a moral obligation to call out those who behave like aggressors: “Otherwise, we’ll be saddled with guilt for the next hundred years about who we were in the war. We hold ourselves to account because it’s the right thing to do—and that gives us the right to speak.”
President Milanović also commented on the U.S. strike on Iran: “Trump is the American president—but he’s also a businessman. He sells American goods, and he doesn’t even try to hide it.” When asked if he believed President Trump’s actions had resolved the crisis in the Middle East, he responded: “I’m afraid this is leading Iran toward acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran’s allies are nuclear powers—do we really believe Iran, with all the scientific knowledge and technological progress of the last thirty years, wouldn’t have developed nuclear weapons by now if it wanted to? We need to return to diplomacy—this hasn’t solved anything.”
Finally, President Milanović commented on his choice of Supreme Court judge Artuković Kunšt and whether it would impact his relationship with Prime Minister Plenković in the realm of diplomacy: “The position of the Supreme Court president is honourable and symbolically important, but it doesn’t carry real power. The public was given no explanation as to why an experienced judge isn’t deemed fit for the role. The process was handled dishonestly, and I won’t go into the details,” he said, adding that he would not nominate another candidate: “They should have told me upfront that the candidate was unacceptable. We entered into the process, and suddenly, she’s not impressive enough. As for ambassadorial appointments, I’ll go along with the ministry’s suggestions as long as the candidates aren’t entirely unacceptable—even if they don’t impress me. Most of them won’t impress me, but they’ll likely be appointed. We’re looking for reasonable solutions,” he concluded.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Dario Andrišek & NATO