Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Saturday that a scenario in which the international community approved Russia's occupation of parts of Ukraine would give "carte blanche" to potential aggressors, signaling that such policies pay off.

Speaking to reporters in Split, Plenkovic said that if the international community were to accept the seizure of Ukrainian territory, it would send “a signal to any bully anywhere in the world, who is bigger and stronger, to look around for someone smaller and weaker they might find interesting and then seize part of their territory.”

“This is the threat of an unprincipled potential solution, and that is why we must advocate for a resolution that will immediately bring peace and, through a process, lead to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said, noting that Ukraine had already agreed to a ceasefire and the Minsk agreement in 2014, but Russia “continued the second phase of aggression” in 2022.

“If the principle of might over right prevails, to the detriment of the victim, involving destruction and killing, then that has nothing to do with international law and a rules-based order. That would not be good for anyone, because it would give carte blanche to anyone who wants to be an aggressor,” he added.