Ukraine summons Slovak envoy to reject accusations

31/1/2025 6:24

Ukraine's foreign ministry summoned

Slovakia's ambassador in Kyiv on Thursday to reject accusations

that it is meddling in its neighbour's internal affairs and to

accuse Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of being a "mouthpiece"

for Russia.



Kyiv and Bratislava have been at odds for weeks over

Ukraine's decision not to extend a deal for Russian gas transit

to Europe that expired at the end of December.



Kyiv's tit-for-tat move came a day after Slovakia's foreign

ministry said it had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in

Bratislava to protest against Ukrainian comments criticising

Fico that it said amounted to interference in Slovak affairs.



Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement it had

expressed to Slovakia's envoy deep disappointment that Fico was

"acting as a mouthpiece for the Kremlin".



It also called on Slovakia, a member of the European Union

and NATO, to return to constructive dialogue.



Ukraine and Slovakia have exchanged a series of

strongly-worded accusations in recent weeks.



Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Fico had

been "poisoned by Russian propaganda". Earlier, Fico called

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy an "enemy" of Slovakia

due to the gas transit dispute, according to Slovak media.



Fico demanded that Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine

be resumed. Kyiv says doing so would help the Kremlin to finance

its almost three-year-old war against Ukraine.