Ukraine summons Slovak ambassador over latest remarks of their PM Fico

On 30 January, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry summoned Slovak Ambassador Pavel Vizdal to formally express its "strong rejection" of statements made by Bratislava concerning Ukraine's alleged interference in Slovakia's internal affairs.

According to a statement from Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a meeting with the Slovak ambassador, Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko expressed his "deep disappointment" that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico "currently acts as the speaking trumpet of the Kremlin" and "resorts to illogical actions".

He added that Bratislava's actions are unacceptable, cause significant harm to the countries’ bilateral relations and undermine "the unity of the European Union and the Euro-Atlantic community in countering the aggressor state".

Mishchenko also described the Slovak government's attempts to maintain its dependence on Russian energy supplies as unacceptable.

"Official Bratislava is urged to stop this policy and revert to a constructive dialogue and the development of good neighbourly relations between our countries and peoples," the statement noted.

The Slovak Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Myroslav Kastran following Kyiv's criticism of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

This comes amid a deterioration in bilateral relations between Kyiv and Bratislava after Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory, including to Slovakia.

Fico has labelled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an "enemy" of Slovakia and expressed anger over Zelenskyy's support for mass anti-government protests in the country.