Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that NATO Acting Deputy Secretary General Boris Ruge had on Wednesday debunked the "lies and disinformation" of President Zoran Milanovic and parts of the opposition that Croatia was involved in the war between Ukraine and Russia through its participation in the NSATU mission.

In a speech to Croatian MPs about the NATO Security Assistance and Training Mission in Ukraine (NSATU), Ruge said that with the exception of a few liaison officers, no NATO personnel were deployed in Ukraine and that NSATU did not make NATO a belligerent under international law.

“All the false narratives, the whole pro-Russian narrative that was started by Milanovic and adopted by part of the opposition has been debunked,” Plenkovic said.

“The decision on NSATU is not a decision on entering a war, and Croatia and other NATO member countries would not become a party to the war,” Plenkovic said, adding that two Croatian officers that the government wants to contribute to the mission would not go to Ukraine, but to Germany.

“Refusing to support the proposal is bad for Croatia”

The government’s decision on Croatia’s participation in the mission requires a two-thirds majority in parliament after President Milanovic, who is commander-in-chief of the army, refused to give his consent. He said that NATO and Croatia would thus be entering into war with Russia.

His position is supported by some opposition parties, which have declared that they will boycott or vote against the parliamentary vote.

Prime Minister Plenkovic said that after Ruge’s visit, the opposition’s arguments no longer hold water, adding: “Milanovic’s supporters are grasping at straws to save face.”

“Refusing to support the government’s proposal is bad for Croatia, for its international reputation and its status in NATO,” Plenkovic said, accusing Milanovic and the opposition of playing into the hands of the Russians.