Kotromanović: ‘The withdrawal of the USA from NATO would be bad for us. We should be more independent’

Kotromanovć assesses that the wordč about the ‘unnecessary conflict’ that caused the global crisis and adds that Trump has not achieved his goals. He believes that Trump is now trying to get out of a war that is expensive and politically risky because he is losing support at home. Speaking about the possible exit of the USA from NATO, he warned that it would be a ‘tectonic disturbance’ for international relations. Although such a decision is not simple, its consequences would be serious, especially for European allies who rely on American security guarantees.

Such a scenario would be unfavorable for Croatia. Kotromanovć emphasizes that the country must strengthen its own defense capabilities, develop industry and increase its independence.

– Without our own defense industry, there is no long-term security, he said.

He considers the meetings between Milanović and Plenkovic as key for the functioning of the state and emphasizes that national security must be above political conflicts. Although the official conclusions are general, he claims that the talks were of high quality and should be continued.

In the end, he says that Croatia must adapt its defense strategies to new threats, including the arming of neighboring countries, and maintain the ability to deter, with the message that national interests must come first.

– What will be the means of deterrence? We will leave that to the professionals. We have the Ministry of Defense, we have good people there and in the Headquarters who can always make quality decisions in a way to protect the Republic of Croatia and its borders – he concluded.