Milanović in Knin: Serbia Arming Itself with Allied Assistance
At the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm, the President warned of Serbia's rearmament and questioned demands to raise defense spending to five percent of GDP.
At the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm, the President warned of Serbia's rearmament and questioned demands to raise defense spending to five percent of GDP.
The commemoration of the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin was marked by sharp messages from President Zoran Milanović about Serbia's rearmament, the role of allies, and pressure within NATO for member states to allocate five percent of GDP to defense. The ceremony began with the laying of a wreath at the Monument of the Croatian Victory 'Storm' on Dr. Ante Starčević Square, after which the Croatian flag was raised at the Knin Fortress, and 245 cadets of the Croatian Army and Police Academy trainees lined up in memory of fallen and missing defenders.
After Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković addressed the gathering, Milanović expressed gratitude to the defenders. "Beyond deep gratitude to the defenders and their families, to those who survived and those who did not, once again a deep human thank you," he said, adding that this was a "shared war of brothers in arms, inseparable from one another."
He placed particular emphasis on the role of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressing that they fought a shared war without external help. "The Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in those years, fought a shared war, without help, often without verbal, but also material support. The peace process in BiH was signed after the intervention of the Croatian Army, which was agreed upon with American allies, and some parts even against our will, at their insistence," Milanović stated.
He added that the Croatian Army's intervention decisively shaped the peace process: "That is a debt to Croatia. There would have been no Dayton without the Croatian Army. That is a simple truth. In politics and in history, truth matters."
Milanović then turned his attention to relations with Serbia, emphasizing that Croatia should not react to every statement but must respond to material moves. "We should not react to every verbal nonsense coming from the other side of the Danube, but we must react to every material move. Croatia won the war, and Serbia is arming itself and constantly saying that Storm will never happen again. I don't see it happening again," he said.
He directly called out NATO allies for selling weapons to Serbia, alluding to French Rafale fighter jets. "When Serbia arms itself with the assistance of some of our allies, we must ask ourselves how fair that game is and how much it will cost us," he said. In a speech broadcast by N1 Croatia, the President was even more direct: "However, when Serbia arms itself, with the formal and direct assistance of some of our formal and informal advisors and allies, we must ask ourselves if that is a fair game. How much will it cost us?"
He reminded that Serbia was the sponsor of the rebellion in Croatia: "Knin was not the heart of the rebellion; that rebellion came from Belgrade."
A significant portion of the speech was devoted to demands within NATO to increase defense spending to five percent of GDP. Croatia currently allocates two percent, which, according to Milanović, is more than ever and quite sufficient.
"We must ask ourselves: what does five percent of GDP for defense mean? We currently allocate 2 percent, more than ever. I would say, enough. Five percent? That money won't go to schools, kindergartens, or public standards. It will go for German, French, and American weapons. Why?" the President asked, adding that "that money will go to French, American, and German weapons. We must publicly ask that question because they are hitting our pockets."
He also mentioned the Ferguson Rule, according to which states should pull the handbrake when interest payments on public debt equal defense spending. "Croatia has currently crossed that threshold; the US, UK, France, and Italy have as well. Only Germany hasn't," Milanović warned.
The President emphasized that real capabilities matter, not the amount of money spent, using a biblical analogy. "When young David came to King Saul's camp, he rejected the sword and brought a sling. That is a story of faith in God, but also a story of wit and intelligence, of how Croatia won the war," he said.
He particularly praised the fact that the Armed Forces are led by people with direct combat experience. "Croatia is special, the only country in NATO and the European Union whose military is led by men who led battalions in attack. Our Chief of the General Staff, Tihomir Kundid, is such a man and will always have my trust," Milanović said.
He concluded his speech with words of gratitude to the defenders, stressing that they fought for a legal, orderly, and civilized state, not for international institutions: "Not for the United Nations, not for the European Parliament, not for the European Union, nor for these 'ours over there.'"
