Croatian Prime Minister said how Putin managed to accelerate EU expansion.

Andrej Plenković, the Prime Minister of Croatia, noted that the actions of the Kremlin paradoxically accelerated the processes of European Union expansion. He stated this in an interview with Bloomberg.

Over the last two and a half years, European capitals have become more open to the idea of EU expansion. This is due to the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, which became an incentive for countries striving to join the EU. Currently, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia, and Herzegovina are already negotiating membership, and another five Balkan countries are also at different stages of the accession process.

Plenković stated that the next five years will be interesting, and we will see how each of the candidate countries will progress and meet EU criteria. He also claims that Croatia is ready to support neighboring countries on their path to European integration.

Let's recall that some Western Balkan countries, which remain candidates for EU membership, might turn to Russia or China due to EU policies. Some of them have been waiting for nearly 20 years to join.