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Ukraine Europe’s poorest nation in 2018, says opposition politician

GDP per capital in Ukraine shrank from 4,030 US dollars in 2013 to 2,656 US dollars in 2018

© EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

KIEV, January 21. /TASS/. The policy of the current Ukrainian authorities has led to a total collapse of the country’s economy and impoverishment of its population, Viktor Medvedchuk, a leader of the Ukrainian Choice public movement and the chairman of the Opposition Platform For Life, said on Monday.

"The so-called civilization choice foisted by the ‘maidan leaders’ has turned out to be an economic collapse, impoverishment of the populations and transition of Ukraine, once an independent and sovereign state, under external governance," he said.

"Ukraine has found itself among the world’s leaders in terms of a decline in the living standards," he said, citing international rankings. Thus, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in 2018 Ukraine was ranked as Europe’s poorest country and took the 134th position among 186 world nations in terms of GDP per capita, which was 2,656.01 US dollars.

Whereas Bulgaria is notorious for the lowest minimal wage in the European Union (300 US dollars), this index in Ukraine is only 148.2 US dollars. More to it, Ukraine is at Europe’s bottom in terms of average wage, which was slightly more than 320 US dollars in January-November 2018. "These indices not merely speak, they cry about impoverishment of millions of Ukrainians," Medvedchuk stressed.

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At the same time, in his words, in the past five years "Ukraine has more than succeeded" in the corruption perception survey (Ernst & Young), topping the list of 41 countries of Europe with a result of 88% "It is only logical that in another ranking that is directly linked with the corruption perception one - the index of economic freedom - our country is Europe’s last and is ranked 150th among 186 world nations," he said.

According to Medvedchuk, in such environment the country must focus on the protection of its national interests "by means of creating special economic conditions, first of all, through resuming trade-and-economic relations with Russia and countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, where its export potential is."

"Ukraine must become a bridge between Russia and Europe. This is what will help it improve living standards and people’s welfare," he stressed.

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