Picula equates Putin with Milošević, demands judicial accountability

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Russian President Vladimir Putin must be held accountable in court for war crimes, like Slobodan Milošević, Croatian MEP Tonino Picula stated on Tuesday during a debate on the European Parliament's (EP) resolution on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"This war also evokes memories of the war aggression against my country, Croatia, thirty years ago. Attacks on children's hospitals, civilian facilities, destroyed towns and refugees. Putin, like Milošević, must be held accountable for his actions in court for war crimes," Picula said at an extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament, which was also addressed earlier by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via video link.

"It will be very difficult for Putin to get out of this war. A Russian version of Maidan could happen to the Kremlin. History has shown that dictators can be defeated, but it is equally important to remove the circumstances that led to the emergence of dictators. Ukraine is bleeding, but Putin's regime will bleed out. Long live European Ukraine, glory to Ukraine!" Picula said in his speech, having participated in negotiations between parliamentary groups on the text of the EP resolution.

The reason for the war in Ukraine is the "authoritarian nature of the Russian regime under the absolutism of the Russian president," said the Croatian MEP, adding that "it is unknown what is worse, Putin's military aggression or his narrative justifying violence.".

Picula assessed that Putin had counted on the passivity of Ukrainians and the division of the West, but that he had "overestimated his strength, underestimated the strength of Ukrainian resistance and the ability of the West to unite.".

In the draft resolution, which the European Parliament is voting on Tuesday, EU institutions are called upon to grant Ukraine candidate status for EU membership and to continue working on the integration of the country into the Union's single market.