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United Confectioners uninterested in buying Poroshenko’s Russian plant

Petro Poroshenko, who had gained over 50% of the vote at Ukraine’s early presidential elections on May 25, said he intended to sell his business

MOSCOW, May 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Guta Group, which comprises United Confectioners holding company, has no interest in buying the Russia-based Roshen candy factory from Ukrainian businessman Petro Poroshenko elected as Ukraine’s new president, a Guta top official said on Tuesday.

First Deputy Chairman of the Guta Group Board of Directors Artyom Kuznetsov declined to comment on the decision. “This is a complex political process,” he said.

Poroshenko, who had gained over 50% of the vote at Ukraine’s early presidential elections on May 25, said on Monday he intended to sell his business after he was inaugurated as the new head of the Ukrainian state.

“We should introduce a new tradition, under which a person who assumes the top post should take a decisive step to sell his business and concentrate on his work,” Poroshenko said.

“I’m already working with an administrative consultant. Starting from today, I’m beginning preparations for selling my assets,” the Ukrainian billionaire said.

The Roshen confectionary factory in Lipetsk in western Russia is part of the Ukrainian Roshen Corporation controlled by Poroshenko who is No. 1.335 on the Forbes’ billionaire list with a wealth of $1.3 billion.

The Lipetsk factory had revenues of 2.19 billion rubles ($64 million) in 2013 and its profit stood at 177.9 million rubles ($5 million).