Speaking at a news conference, Roncevic dismissed the suspicions that President and Armed Forces Supreme Commander Stjepan Mesic voiced about the purchase. The minister said he was happy with the purchase, which he added was carried out in line with laws on the execution of the national budget and public procurement.
He said he would request talks with Mesic to put an "end to the bad communication".
"I won't allow someone giving the president incomplete information and putting him in a position to question the whole system," said Roncevic.
He declined to answer if this was a case of politicisation of the Armed Forces in the presidential campaign, saying the entire case had cast a shadow on Defence Ministry performance.
"I dismiss all speculation and claims that there were omissions during the procurement of trucks for the Armed Forces."
Roncevic said Lucic had been suggesting another bidder who was 30 percent more expensive and that last week, although this was not within his authority, Lucic poured over the contract on the purchase of the Iveco trucks.
The defence minister said he had informed the president of the purchase.
Asked if he would request that Lucic be replaced, Roncevic said the appointment to and dismissal from such a post had its procedure, and that he wanted to talk to the president primarily about the truck purchase.
Assistant Defence Minister Ivica Bacic outlined the chronology of the truck purchase.
The 34.4 million kuna purchase contract was signed on December 28.
Roncevic briefed the press also about new programmes for the equipment and modernisation of the Armed Forces.
(EUR1 = 7.6 kuna)