Croatian President Zoran Milanovic speaks during his swearing-in ceremony, on February 18, 2020.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said the United States and NATO are engaged in proxy warfare against Russia on the territory of Ukraine.

Addressing a news conference in the country’s eastern city of Vukovar, Milanovic said, "Washington and NATO are waging a proxy war against Russia with the help of Ukraine," as quoted by Croatia’s news agency HINA.

According to the Croatian President, sanctions against Russia are "absurd" and "can achieve nothing."

"The plan should not be about removing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. The plan should not be about sanctions. Sanctions are absurd and we can achieve nothing using them," Milanovic indicated.

"They are shifting from one war to another. But how should I feel - a slave of America?" he said.

Earlier, the Croatian Parliament rejected the government’s proposal to allow the Ukrainian military to train in Croatia. In this regard, Milanovic warned that training Ukrainian troops in EU countries posed dangerous consequences.

EU should end sanctions against Russia: Hungary PM

Similarly, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban stressed on Friday that the European Union's sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war are a mistake and should be ended.

Speaking to Hungarian state radio, Orban considered that if the anti-Russian sanctions are lifted, energy prices and inflation would fall in half, adding that a political decision must be taken by the EU in this regard.

"It is certain that America won the war and Europe lost. There’s a debate over whether Russia won or lost. If we talk in terms of money, we can’t say that Russia lost too much,'' the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out.

This comes as Polish Ambassador to the EU, Andrzej Sados, claimed on Thursday that the EU is intensifying its work on the 10th sanctions package against Russia, with Poland proposing the imposition of new measures and strengthening existing ones.

Peace talks possible if Kiev ensures no threat from Ukraine: Nebenzia

In a related context, Russian envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia affirmed on Friday Russia's readiness for peaceful talks on Ukraine, only if it ensures that no kind of threat will emerge from Ukrainian territories in the future.

"The goal is to ensure that no threat will emanate from Ukrainian territory for Russia, and the discrimination of the Russian-speaking population, and if this can be achieved through peaceful negotiations, we're ready to engage," Nebenzia said during a UN Security Council session.

The Russian diplomat warned that Moscow will achieve its goals through military means if peaceful negotiations are not on the table.