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Ukraine will not disclose its acts in legal case on $3 bln debt to Russia — minister

The Russian Finance Ministry earlier filed a lawsuit against Ukraine to the London’s High Court of Justice for non-payment of loan
Ukraine’s finance minister Natalie Jaresko Maxim Nikitin/TASS
Ukraine’s finance minister Natalie Jaresko
© Maxim Nikitin/TASS

KIEV, March 4. /TASS/. Kiev will not publicize its further acts in the court case on $3 bln debt to Russia, Ukraine’s finance minister Natalie Jaresko said on Friday.

"There is no public response to the question regarding our acts and the defense strategy in court on the debt case. We will work in interests of Ukraine," Jaresko said at the briefing.

Ukraine’s finance ministry sent a confirmation on receipt of process documents in the court case on $3 bln debt repayment to Russia on Thursday. Ukraine engaged the international legal firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as its defense counsel.

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

The Russian Finance Ministry filed a lawsuit against Ukraine to the London’s High Court of Justice for non-payment of a $3 bln loan, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told journalists earlier. Ukraine was to pay the debt on December 21, 2015. On December 31, the grace period to settle the dispute expired. The Russian Finance Ministry did not receive any direct offers from Kiev since then.