Montenegro’s parliament voted to send some of its military to bolster the European Union’s Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) in Ukraine. Members of the Balkan country’s assembly committed to the policy, which was passed on Thursday, June 12th.
Prior to a fairly narrow win in favour of the decision—support from 49 MPs out of 81 elected representatives—defence minister Dragan Krapović reassured them that
There is no question or possibility that any Montenegrin soldier will be engaged on Ukrainian soil … I want this to be crystal clear.
The debate also drew contributions from MPs who were previously hostile to NATO membership, informed by the alliance’s previous use of force against the then state of Serbia and Montenegro during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Even absentee parliamentarians, often from the For the Future of Montenegro coalition, supported the decision. Other erstwhile opponents of NATO admitted they had, in the words of opposition leader Danijel Živković (Democratic Party of Socialists), shown “growth and an embrace of NATO values.”
Sending non-combatants to support EUMAM in Ukraine is a first for a non-EU member. The promises made during the debate would likely prove damaging if these Montenegrin soldiers are drawn into fighting, but for now their official role is to help train Ukrainian troops on EU soil.
In the short term at least, this policy could strengthen the hand of Europhiles in Montenegrin politics, who are the strongest supporters of the country’s EU accession. Longer term, who knows?
