Greece to expel Russian diplomats, accusing them of meddling in Macedonia deal to thwart Nato expansion
Russia is accused of trying to whip up opposition to an agreement on Macedonia’s name on both sides of the border, by bribing Greek Orthodox church leaders and orchestrating protests in Skopje
Four Russian diplomats will be banned from Greece after evidence revealed Russia was trying to foment opposition to a historic deal between Greece and Macedonia that is likely to pave the way for Macedonia’s Nato membership and so weaken Russian influence in the western Balkans.
Greece said it would expel two Russian diplomats and ban two others.
Zoran Zaev, the Macedonian prime minister, speaking at the Nato summit in Brussels, indicated he knew Russia was behind some of the protests outside his own parliament in Skopje, but he said his country was not going to seek conflict. “We are a small country. We want to build a friendship with everybody. There is no alternative but Nato membership,” he said.
Russia, involved in a wider struggle for influence with the EU across the region, has already been accused of backing a failed coup in Montenegro in 2016.