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Russia decided to postpone the provision of the second tranche of financial assistance to Ukraine due to instability in the country. This was stated in Hong Kong in an interview with Bloomberg, the head of the Ministry of Finance Anton Siluanov.
“In today's situation, many questions arise about how these funds are used and how to return later. We need to wait for clearing and stabilizing the situation,” said Siluanov. “This was Russia's decision related to an unexpected and sharp exacerbation of the situation in Ukraine”
As previously reported, Russia planned to redeem the Eurobonds of Ukraine at 5 percent per annum in the amount of $ 2 billion. However, on Friday it became known that Ukraine abandoned the dopation of the Eurobonds, which has officially notified the Irish stock exchange.
On Monday, the day before the aggravation of the situation in Kyiv, Siluanov announced the plans of Moscow to redeem the second tranche of Ukrainian Eurobonds this week.
However, already on Wednesday, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov found it difficult to answer at what time the second tranche would be provided to Ukraine . "I can’t say anything about this yet - obviously, in a situation where extremists arrange what is happening in Ukraine, the settlement of this particular situation is a priority."
On February 5, Peskov said that Moscow was concerned about the growth of Ukraine’s debt for Russian gas. However, there are no grounds for revising existing contracts, he noted. “We hope that our Ukrainian colleagues will fulfill all the obligations,” Peskov said. “Putin has repeatedly spoke out on this topic and emphasized that assistance is provided to the people of Ukraine. We hope for a speedy settlement of the situation.”
In December, amid mass protests, the opposition of the Ukrainian authorities received a loan from Russia in the amount of $ 15 billion, as well as a discount in the form of a fixed gas price in 2014 in the amount of $ 268.5. Ukraine received the first tranche on December 24.