KIEV, Ukraine. The Ukrainian parliament approved the bill, which could affect repayment of the country’s $3 billion debt to Russia on May 19.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier the bill de facto was an announcement of a default, casting a negative light on the professionalism of Ukraine’s leadership.
Moreover, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Moscow would turn to an international court if the Ukrainian president signed a moratorium on the repayment of foreign debt.
Ukraine’s total debt is estimated at about $50 billion, of which $30 billion are external and $17 billion internal debts, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
Yatsenyuk said that the suspension of payments could only relate to private loans, but Ukraine considered its $3-billion debt to Russia also as a private one, a position Moscow totally disagreed with.
Kiev has received several aid packages from international financial institutions, including the IMF, which has pledged to transfer $17.5 billion to the country over the next four years, with the first $5 billion instalment being received.
Credit: Sputnik
