Country plunged into political uncertainty after Wilders says all Freedom party ministers will be leaving government

The Kremlin says it is “unlikely” a meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin , his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy , and US president Donald Trump would take place soon.

“In the near future, it is unlikely,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the chances of a meeting, adding that such a summit could only happen after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reach an “agreement”.

The minister, Pavel Blazek , a lawyer and veteran senior official in prime minister Petr Fiala’s centre-right Civic Democrats party, denied doing anything illegal in his decision to accept the gift – which was part of bitcoin holdings returned to the former convict after he served a jail sentence.

The scandal is a further setback for the government which has been trailing the opposition, led by the populist ANO party, in opinion polls before an election set for October 3-4.