Russia Ukraine war, page-233574

"Once Croatia and the other declared independence"

You will get there Crom, Andy, Milo etc.... Unilateral declaration of independence was not accepted by Europe. It was illegal, unconstitutional and it would have set a dangerous precedent Crom. Hopefully, this will put to rest your interpretation of the international law and rules.

On 23 June 1991, as Slovenia and Croatia prepared to declare their independence during the breakup of Yugoslavia, the European Community (EC) foreign ministers decided the EC member states would not extend diplomatic recognition to the two states. The EC viewed the declarations as unilateral moves and offered assistance in negotiations regarding the future of the SFR Yugoslavia instead.