(Reuters) – 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.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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