Serbian Minister of Information and Telecommunications Boris Bratina apologized on Friday for his recent statements that Croatia, like Ukraine, should be "punished with loss of territory", HINA and regional TV En1 reported, BTA reported.
A few days ago, Bratina told TV "Informer" that Croatia should be "punished with loss of territory" for its historical role, including during World War I and World War II and the conflicts of the 1990s.
A statement published on the website of the Serbian Ministry of Information and Telecommunications late Friday evening stated that Bratina apologized on behalf of the ministry and on his own behalf "for the omission made on December 17, 2025, in connection with the statement made on TV "Informer" stating that Croatia, like Ukraine, must pay with territory".
The text also stated that the ministry was aware that this statement "caused inconvenience and misunderstandings in relation to relations between the two friendly countries (Serbia and Croatia)". The ministry added that the Serbian minister's statement had been misinterpreted and was not related to current events, and the position expressed referred "exclusively to a significantly earlier historical period".
The Serbian ministry's statement said that Bratina, as a member of the Serbian government, who is guided by Serbia's foreign policy, supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as confirmed by his previous statements, in which he has repeatedly emphasized that the armed conflict in Ukraine "represents a great tragedy for the Ukrainian people".
Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman strongly condemned Bratina's statement as aggressive and unacceptable, and the Croatian Veterans' Ministry called on Serbia "to stop dreaming of a Greater Serbia", HINA reported.
On December 18 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also condemned the statements of the Serbian minister, the Croatian agency also recalls.