Russian officials says Moscow could hand over imprisoned Ukrainian pilot
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Natalia Yaresko, failed to reach a deal at their meeting on Friday on restructuring Kyiv’s $3 billion (£2 billion) debt to Moscow, but agreed to continue talking.
“It is clear that Ukraine will not be able to return its debt immediately, but I do not think we should restructure the debt in the current environment”, the Russian government source said.
“One needs to meet, of course, talk, that is always correct and beneficial”, Siluanov told reporters on the sidelines of an worldwide Monetary Fund meeting in Lima, Peru.
Russia may pursue Ukraine through court if Kyiv fails to repay its outstanding 3-billion dollars debt obligations on time, a high-ranking Russian government source said Friday.
Ukraine has been increasingly reliant on external help in order to restore its economy, which was significantly weakened by the 2014 change of power and the subsequent outbreak of hostilities in the country’s southeast.
Yaresko “provided details on the debt restructuring agreement reached with Ukraine’s ad hoc committee of creditors and called Russian Federation to participate in that agreement”, the Ukrainian side said in a short statement afterwards.
Ukraine’s overall state debt amounts to $70 billion, of which about $40 billion is owed to global money lenders.