Alone Against All: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Defends Putin and Russia from the EU

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has once again put Croatia in an awkward position with her statements and actions.

While the EU is in a serious diplomatic war with Russia over the "Skripal" affair, the Croatian president is the only official from an EU country to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his election victory and invite him for an official state visit.

The European Union recalled its ambassador to Moscow after European leaders agreed that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent attack in Great Britain. In a joint statement after the meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the European Council stated that there is no other explanation than that Russia is responsible for the attack.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said that the poisoning in Salisbury was part of a planned Russian aggression against Europe.

Moscow has denied responsibility for the attack on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4 in southern England.

- We stand in solidarity with Great Britain in the face of this serious challenge to our common security - the statement of the Council of Europe reads.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that European leaders agreed that joint steps should be taken, while Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras added that the EU should show solidarity with Great Britain, but at the same time, the EU should be responsible when an attack is attributed to another country. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė announced that this Baltic country will follow Great Britain's example and expel Russian diplomats.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced that the Croatian state will meet only on Monday to consider making a decision.

Journalists asked Plenković if Croatia found itself in an awkward situation after President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović's invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Croatia.

- This is a continuation of the conversation that took place a few months ago in Moscow and Sochi, and this is a completely different topic in a different context, where many countries have relations with Russia, and ultimately Great Britain also said that it maintains communication with Russia, the EU does this, and this is nothing unusual - Plenković replied.

SDP Member of Parliament Peđa Grbin requested a meeting of the state leadership to make a statement as soon as possible so that Croatia can align its foreign policy with other EU countries, stating that President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović endangered Croatia's position with her invitation to Putin.

After recent controversial statements during her tour of South America, where she called the Ustaše emigration fighters for the freedom of the Croatian people, the Croatian president, by congratulating the Russian president and inviting him to visit Croatia at a time when the EU is in a practical diplomatic war with Russia, has once again turned her back on the values on which the EU is based.