Ukraine withdrew its ambassador to Kazakhstan in Central Asia, according to a decree posted on the presidential website, after comments he made about Russia drew condemnation from Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry urged Kazakhstan to expel Petro Vrublevsky after he gave an interview in which he made comments about “killing” Russians.
He later apologized for the comments.
Astana had said that it communicated the “unacceptability” of Vrublevsky’s statement to Kyiv and an agreement was reached for his withdrawal.
The decree published by the Ukrainian presidency on Tuesday night did not specify why the ambassador was relieved of his duties and did not appoint a replacement.
In early October, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador for a “serious talk” after Moscow demanded that Kazakhstan expel Ukraine’s ambassador.
Ties between Russia and Kazakhstan have been strained since the launch of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Central Asian country seeking to balance its relations with the West and with its ally Moscow.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly disagreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine and also assured the thousands of Russians fleeing to Kazakhstan since Moscow’s partial mobilization announcement that they will not be repatriated for military service.