Croatian President Zoran MilanoviC on Thursday harshly condemned the Russian aggression on Ukraine and convened an urgent meeting with senior army and intelligence officials, the Office of the President said in a press release.

According to the press release, MilanoviC also discussed the developments with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Milanovic said that the attacks by Russian armed forces were unacceptable acts of violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, calling on Russia to cease the military attacks.

“Being a member of the NATO alliance and the European Union, Croatia will act in compliance with its duties,” he said.

The military commanders and intelligence and security officials informed Milanovic of the current developments and possible scenarios in Ukraine.

Milanovic said recently that NATO should not expand eastward to include Ukraine and that the European security structures should also respect the Russian interests. He also announced the withdrawal of Croatian troops from countries adjacent to Ukraine in the event of further escalation of tensions, and underscored that he would not give his consent to the deployment of Croatian troops in Ukraine.