FYROM PM reignites tension over alleged Russian meddling in name deal

As Athens seeks to defuse tensions with Moscow over its expulsion last week of Russian diplomats, the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, brought the issue back to the fore on Monday, accusing Greek businessmen "sympathetic to the Russian cause" of paying large sums of money to his country's citizens to commit acts of violence ahead of the referendum on the name deal struck with Greece last month.

Speaking to BuzzFeed, Zaev said his government received a series of reports that people were paid amounts ranging from 13,000 to 21,000 US dollars. He also said that he asked, in private, for help with the referendum to change FYROM's name to North Macedonia from US President Donald Trump at last week's NATO summit, ahead of the American leader's meeting in Helsinki on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zaev's remarks came after...