Russian ambassador leaves Czech foreign ministry after meeting Minister Kulhanek

Russia’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic Alexander Zmeyevsky has left the Czech Foreign Ministry after a meeting with Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek on Wednesday.

Zmeyevsky refused to answer reporters’ questions. In coming minutes, the Czech foreign minister is expected to hold a briefing to inform about his meeting with the Russian ambassador, TASS reported.

Earlier, the minister told reporters that he would protest to the ambassador over Russia declaring 20 employees of the Czech embassy in Moscow persona non grata in response to the earlier expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats from Prague.

Prague claims that Moscow was involved in the explosion at ammunition depots in the village of Vrbetice in the country’s east in 2014. Russia dismisses those allegations. The Russian Foreign Ministry has strongly protested to Prague.