Russian Federation Not Compromising, Wants Ukraine Debt Paid In Full
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and his Ukrainian counterpart Natalie Jaresko have failed to agree on the restructuring of Ukraine’s debt to Russia, which amounts to $3 billion.
Last month, Ukraine reached an 18-billion dollar debt restructuring deal, after the United States, a number of European countries and a few of Ukraine’s private creditors agreed to write down as much as 20 percent of Kyiv’s debt.
Russia’s justice minister says Moscow is open to discussing handing over to Kyiv a Ukrainian pilot charged with the murder of two journalists.
Viktor Shur, a Russian national, was convicted Wednesday of treason for reportedly gathering classified information on a Russian Defense Ministry facility on the orders of the Ukrainian border service, the Bryansk regional court said Thursday in an online statement.
Siluanov said the repayment funds are already penciled in for use by one of Russia’s sovereign wealth funds next year on infrastructure projects. “So for us, such conditions are unacceptable”. “All creditors can participate in the exchange until October 29”.
Ukraine is confident the global community will not let Russian Federation hold “hostage” an IMF bailout package that Kyiv needs to avoid default, a source close to the Ukrainian government said Saturday.
Friday’s meeting was brokered by Germany and attended by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.