Siluanov: Russia does not intend to write off debt to Ukraine

Ukraine will have to pay Russia's debt in full, the head of the Ministry of Finance Anton Siluanov told reporters. In case of refusal, according to the minister, Moscow will apply to the court and the International Monetary Fund, TASS reports.

"Russian debt is sovereign. There is a special settlement procedure for sovereign debts in such cases. We will not enter into negotiations with the Ukrainian government in this part," Siluanov said.

Last week, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that Russia should decide by the end of the year whether it will participate in the restructuring of part of the Ukrainian public debt. Later Poroshenko invited Russia to join the decision of the committee of creditors on the restructuring of Ukrainian debt.

Speaking about the restructuring of the public debt, the president said: "Under any circumstances, Ukraine will not provide any privileges to the Russian loan. Russia had every opportunity to join the negotiations. As far as I understand it, this possibility is not closed now. But Russia will not be put in more privileged conditions than other lenders."

On August 27, the head of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine Natalia Yaresko reported that Kiev agreed with external creditors on debt restructuring, which involves a 20 percent write-off. At the same time, Yaresko proposed the same conditions for Russia. In response, the head of the Ministry of Finance of Russia Anton Siluanov said that Russia would insist on fully repayment of the debt.

At the end of 2013, when the President of Ukraine was Viktor Yanukovych, Russia acquired the Eurobonds of Ukraine for $ 3 billion at the expense of the FNB. Their repayment should take place in December 2015.

The current president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in the summer of 2015 called the Russian loan a “bribe”, which the ex-president received for refusing to sign an association with the European Union in November 2013.

In July, the International Monetary Fund approved the allocation of a tranche in the amount of $ 1.7 billion. The lending program of Ukraine is designed for four years: during this time, as expected, Kyiv must receive a total of $ 17.5 billion.