MOSCOW, December 16. The Ministry of Finance December 16, pending confirmation by the IMF of the official status of Ukraine’s debt to Russia, told journalists the Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov.
“Today the IMF has to decide on the status of the debt. Russia has sent a request to the IMF,” he said.
According to Siluanov, pre-trial settlement of Ukraine’s debt for the remaining 4 days prior to the date of repayment is hardly possible.
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“We are open to cooperation, but today is 16 December, so technically it is hardly possible”, – said Siluanov to reporters.
The maturity of the loan to Kiev expires on 20 December.
Previously, the IMF Executive Board lifted the ban on lending to countries with overdue sovereign debt, while Russia voted against. The decision, in particular, means that the IMF will continue implementing its anti-crisis program for Ukraine, even if Ukraine delays the payments for the debts to Russia. Accordingly, this same practice will also apply to other situations when countries with sovereign debt, while credit support for the Fund.
After 20 December, when Ukraine needs to pay off the loan, there is a 10-day period for an additional pre-trial settlement. Then the Russian Federation on non-payment of credit may apply to international arbitration.
