On 19 April 2021, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar met with the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine Radek Matula.

The Ukrainian diplomat informed his interlocutor about the continuation of Russia’s strategy of escalation and increase of Russian military presence along the Ukrainian state border and in the temporarily occupied Crimea. 

The diplomats discussed the decision of the Czech Republic to expel from its territory 18 Russian diplomats, suspected of working with Russian intelligence. Radek Matula explained in detail the reasons of such reaction based on convincing evidence of involvement of Russian intelligence in the massive ammunition depot explosion near Vrbetice in October 2014.

The Ambassador expressed gratitude for Ukraine’s solidarity with the Czech Republic being a subject to Russia’s destructive activities. 

Vasyl Bodnar and Rade Matula stressed the importance of further intensifying cooperation between Ukraine and the Czech Republic in various spheres and discussed preparations for the Ukrainian-Czech political consultations of Deputy Foreign Ministers in May this year.