Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday accused President Zoran Milanovic of "either being Putin's useful idiot" or having a reason for supporting Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.

“A person who has had pro-Russian views for a year – and we still have not fathomed why – is either Putin’s useful idiot or has a reason for doing what he has been doing,” Plenkovic said in Brussels, where he was attending an EU leaders’ summit.

Parliamentary parties that follow Milanovic “are illiterate in terms of foreign affairs”, said Plenkovic.

“A number of political parties are following that obtuse policy, they are absolutely illiterate in terms of foreign policy. There is no doubt they are embarrassing us. People read about it, follow everything and they are asking us what sort of people those are,” Plenkovic said.

He dismissed accusations that he delivered the conglomerate Agrokor to Russia, saying that the company’s former owner took a €1.2 billion loan in Russia and the banks that gave the loan turned it, as creditors, into an ownership share in the company.

“He can try to sell those stupidities and lies to someone who is ignorant and does not read anything,” he said in reference to President Zoran Milanovic’s statement of Wednesday.

He also condemned Milanovic’s opposition to Croatia training Ukrainian soldiers.

“If he is ready to block it now with his pro-Russian supporters who are illiterate in terms of foreign policy, then let him do it. We’ll see if it goes down in history, and we’ll know who is who. I want it cleared up once and for all, so they cannot hide anymore,” said Plenkovic.

He added that more than 20 EU countries were ready to get involved in an EU mission to train Ukrainian soldiers.

“That is a policy of support to the victim, if Croatia has doubts about that, I wonder who we are dealing with,” he said.

The prime minister also noted that his government’s policy towards Ukraine has been consistent and that now it has become involved in a case launched by Ukraine to sue Russia for genocide.