August the 3rd, 2025 – President Zoran Milanović has called for the prohibition of military cooperation with Israel, calling on the government to stop any trade in weapons and military equipment with that country.

As Morski writes, President Zoran Milanović ordered the cessation of military cooperation with Israel back in May. Croatia is not currently purchasing weapons for its army directly from Israel, the Ministry of Defense announced, following the president’s call.

The move brings back memories of the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel back in 2019. Back then, professional fisherman and air defense officer Petar Baranović confirmed that Croatia was actually purchasing military technology with money from EU fisheries funds.

“Since the purchase and sale of weapons and military equipment is the responsibility of the Croatian Government, the President of the Republic of Croatia has called on the Croatian Government to act in the same way and stop the trade in weapons and military equipment with Israel,” said spokesman Nikola Jelić.

Jelić added that Milanović, as president and supreme commander of the Croatian Army, “as part of his constitutional powers, ordered the Croatian Armed Forces to stop all forms of military cooperation with Israel back in May of this year.” He added that “the members of the Defense Council were also informed of this decision at the session held on May the 23rd, 2025”.

The Croatian Ministry of Defense has stated that it is not currently purchasing weapons for the Croatian military from Israel. The Spike anti-tank missiles, which are currently going through the procurement process, are originally Israeli. However, the Ministry of Defense is purchasing them from the German company Eurospike, which produces them under license, according to an MOD statement.

It was also added that the army owns Orbiter drones as well as a small number of remotely controlled weapon stations. This was followed by the statement that any possible formal decision to ban the purchase of weapons from Israel would not have an impact on the armed forces.


 


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