President Zoran Milanovic was not invited to the Ukraine-SouthEast Europe Summit in Dubrovnik because he was not supposed to be invited, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday, explaining that normally both the head of state and the government do not attend such meetings together.

“Milanovic, unlike the government, has a pro-Russian stance, and thanks to those who support him, this unfortunately influences a part of the Croatian public. Not all Croatians have lost their sense of solidarity of their own accord. Some have developed this view because they listen to Milanovic’s pro-Russian narrative,” Plenkovic said during a government meeting.

The parliamentary opposition said on Wednesday that it was unacceptable that the president was not invited to the Dubrovnik summit, especially when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was invited.

“Vucic participated because he was present at the last two meetings, because he is part of this format, and because he is participating. He is taking part in a multilateral meeting and that does not change anything. On the contrary, it is better if Serbia’s efforts to also support Ukraine are facilitated by Croatia. From this point of view, we have even greater significance in foreign policy and on the international stage,” said Plenkovic.