Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso after being left out of ceremonies commemorating the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
Responding to journalists who asked why he didn't attend the Chornobyl ceremonies, Lukashenka said "You should ask them [Yanukovych and Barroso];"
He also called Yanukovych a "lousy" leader and described Barroso as an "ass."
EU officials confirmed last month that Ukraine had been told that Barroso would not attend last week's international donors' conference on Chornobyl in Kyiv if Lukashenka was present.
The United States and the European Union have blacklisted Lukashenka because of his authoritarian policies.
compiled from agency reports