Foreign Policies

Kiev Unhappy About Matovic's Jokes on Him Giving Zakarpattia to Russia

Kiev, March 3 (TASR) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday described as “regrettable” Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic’s (OLANO) joke on Radio Expres in Slovakia on Tuesday that he promised Zakarpattia to Russia in exchange for the Sputnik V vaccine.

“Let him swap it for several regions of Slovakia. It is regrettable that the Slovak Prime Minister is spoiling very friendly and sincere relations between Ukraine and Slovakia with his inappropriate statements,” wrote Kuleba on Twitter.

Matovic, when asked by the anchor on Radio Expres whether he perhaps promised something to Russia in return for purchasing the vaccine, said, joking: “Zakarpattia.” He shortly afterwards added: “I didn’t promise anything … I was just attempting to secure a vaccine.”

Zakarpattia is a region that belonged to Czechoslovakia before the Second World War, to the Soviet Union after the war, and to independent Ukraine since 1991.

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