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Ukraine insists on restructuring of $3 bln debt to Russia — National Bank governor

"We’re still offering restructuring to our Russian partners. We assume this is the only correct and fair way for all investors," Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Valeria Gontareva says
Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeria Gontareva Maxim Nikitin/TASS
Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeria Gontareva
© Maxim Nikitin/TASS

WARSAW, December 22. /TASS/. Ukraine insists on restructuring of $3 bln debt extended by the Russian Federation in December 2013, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Valeria Gontareva said on Tuesday.

"We’ve already said that we won’t repay the debt in due time. At the beginning of the year we offered this debt’s restructuring but Russia did not agree," Gontareva said.

"We’re still offering restructuring to our Russian partners. We assume this is the only correct and fair way for all investors," she added.

On December 18, Ukraine’s cabinet imposed moratorium on payment of the Russian debt as "Russia refused to sign the restructuring agreement" on an equal basis with private creditors, the country’s Prime Minister Arseny Yansenyuk said.

In December 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych reached an agreement that Moscow would extend a $15 billion loan to Kiev through placing Ukrainian securities. Under the deal, $3 billion worth of bonds were listed on the Irish Stock Exchange on December 20, 2013 and bought by Russia from its National Welfare Fund.

In November 2015, Putin said Russia was ready to restructure Ukraine’s debt in case the United States, the European Union or any big international financial institute gave its guarantees to Russia. No guarantees were granted.

On December 17, the IMF board recognized the official status of Russia’s loan to Ukraine.