MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Russia’s Finance Ministry is ready for any contacts with Ukraine in order to discuss the debt payment, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters.

"We are for any contacts with [Ukraine - TASS] We have always been, but these must be constructive contacts. If Ukraine’s stance means taking the terms of commercial creditors as it was before this is not acceptable for us. If it changes than we will contact and meet with them in any format," the minister said.

Siluanov added that so far his ministry has not received any proposals from Ukraine to discuss debt payment.

In December 2013, the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovich, agreed that Moscow would issue a $15-billion credit to Kiev by offering Ukrainian securities. Under the program, bonds worth $3 billion were placed at the Irish Stock Exchange on December 20, 2013. Russia repurchased them by using the money from the National Welfare Fund.

Ukraine’s previous government set a moratorium on the payment of the state debt to Russia on December 18, 2015. The then Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk explained that the move had been prompted by Russia’s refusal to strike a debt restructuring deal with Ukraine on a par with private creditor.

On December 20, 2015, Ukraine fell behind with the debt payment to Russia.

In February 2016, Russia filed a lawsuit against Ukraine to London’s High Court demanding the debt payment from Kiev. The High Court in London set the date for the hearing of the dispute over Ukraine’s $3bln debt to Russia for January 17-20, 2017.