Serbia is deceived lover of Russia: Croatian president

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said Wednesday that Serbia is a deceived lover of Russia.

The remarks came at a news conference with Slovenian President Pirc Musar in the capital, Zagreb.

"The situation in Ukraine is the beginning of the end of an apparent Serbian-Russian romance in which Serbia will realize that it is a deceived lover,'' said Milanovic.

Russia will eventually recognize the independence of Kosovo to make it legal in Ukraine, according to Milanovic.

''The reality is that Russia is trying something with Ukraine and that the example of Kosovo sticks out like a spike. Russia will have to recognize Kosovo at some point or pretend to recognize it in order to legalize what it is doing in Ukraine. They (Serbia) must understand that they are bothering Russia and that there is no love there,'' he said.

He added that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo while Albanian authorities will have to give status to the community of Serbian municipalities in the north of Kosovo.

Milanovic on Monday criticized recent decisions by European countries that are preparing to send weapons to Ukraine.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states, including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbor. But Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.