He said Croatia received the transloading request too late and that it would not be done on Croatian territory.
"It won't happen because Italy, after a long talk, we were approached relatively late, accepted that it be done somewhere in Italy," Milanovic said, adding that Croatia had been willing to do the transloading.
"Croatia was willing to do it and I opened this topic a week ago on purpose so that the public could see what it is about, that it is safe."
Transport Minister Sinisa Hajdas-Doncic said on Saturday he believed that dangerous substances for chemical weapons, which were being transported from Syria to be neutralised, could be transloaded in a Croatian seaport if the transloading was safe.