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Lawmaker sees Ukraine balancing on verge of financial precipice

Daniil Getmantsev blamed the situation on an economic slowdown in Ukraine and "ill-balanced decisions" in the defense sphere

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. Ukraine is on the brink of a financial gap and may still fail even if it receives all the money pledged by Western agencies, Verkhovna Rada lawmaker and chairman of the parliamentary tax committee Daniil Getmantsev warned.

"Actually, the situation with public coffers is very complicated and alarming today," the senior Ukrainian legislator wrote on his Telegram channel. According to him, problems will remain even if "all [financial] obligations are 100% fulfilled and all confirmed funds are received." Getmantsev blamed the situation on an economic slowdown in Ukraine and "ill-balanced decisions" in the defense sphere.

Later this week, he continued, parliament should hold a vote on a number of commitments made by Kiev in exchange for funding "and finally forget the policy of `falling off a cliff’."

As Kiev’s Western partners launch financing programs, they make the implementation of the so-called structural beacons by it, mostly concerning reforms and the West making amendments to Ukrainian laws, a prerequisite for additional tranches. At that, Ukraine has reported a record budget deficit for several years already.

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