ISTANBUL

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Thursday that some members of the European Parliament have been paid to promote "Russian propaganda." 

During discussions in the Belgian national parliament on foreign interference, “it has come to light, for example, that Russia approached MEPs and paid them to promote Russian propaganda," said De Croo while refraining from disclosing the names of these lawmakers.

He stressed that Belgian and Czech intelligence services engaged in "close collaboration" to quell the "Russian propaganda network."

A spokesman for the premier told the press that the prime minister's recent remarks referred to Czechia's decision to impose sanctions on the Voice of Europe news site.

The Czech Republic imposed on Wednesday sanctions against news outlet Voice of Europe and its financier, the Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote that the sanctions had “hit a pro-Russian network.”