Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15458366 (251833ZJAN22) Notable: Croatia threatens to pull out of NATO if Russia is attacked
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NATO member will withdraw troops in event of war with Russia – president
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic blamed the US for escalating the crisis and said his country would stay out of a conflict
With tensions growing on the border between Russia and Ukraine, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has announced that Zagreb will pull its troops out of NATO contingents stationed in the region should the situation spiral into a full-scale conflict.
Speaking on Tuesday in a televised address, the leader said he sees “reports that NATO – not a separate state, not the US – is increasing its presence and sending reconnaissance ships.”
He insisted that Zagreb’s authorities “have nothing to do with it and we won’t have anything to do with it, I guarantee you that.”
“Not only will we not send the military, but if there is an escalation, we will recall every last Croatian military man,” Milanovic said. “This has nothing to do with Ukraine or Russia, it has to do with the dynamics of American domestic politics, [US President] Joe Biden and his administration, which I supported.”
However, the Croatian president pointed out that he “sees dangerous behavior in matters of international security.”
Milanovic’s comments come amid high tensions between Moscow and Kiev, with a number of Western leaders sounding the alarm in recent weeks over a purported build-up of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine. On Monday, the US-led military bloc announced that its members will order more fleets and fighter planes into the waters of Eastern Europe as Russia “continues its military build-up” amid the growing row.
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