Ukraine-Russia Relations and Future developments

flamming_python wrote:

Militarov wrote:

Today during Putins speech, and then police removed them. Failed too much O.o?

All the Maidanists know how to do is some stupid PR stunts like this. Nothing else.

Neanderthals the lot of them.

That is because they got actually no other form of evidence of their success nor do they have anything original to do but look like morons. But if I was Putin, I would ask them: "And what accomplishments were gained from your illegal overthrow of Yanukovich? A shattered economy, war on the east, lost Crimea (and the crimeans are happy to be gone) and welfare recipients from the IMF". I am pretty certain after that, they would go cry themselves to sleep and blame him later on.

flamming_python wrote:

Rodinazombie wrote:

higurashihougi wrote:GOOD.

http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150926/1027590412/sanctions-ukraine-airlines-ban.html

Two Ukrainian airlines will fall under Russia's retaliatory measures immediately after Moscow gets the official confirmation of Kiev’s decision to close its airspace to Russian commercial airlines flying to Ukraine, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said Saturday.

Well thats escalated, now ukraine is banning all flights from russia. Im sure this will backfire like everything else they do seems to.

https://www.rt.com/business/318377-urkraine-russian-flight-ban/

Haha they really are determined to cut economic ties with Russia to 0 aren't they?

It's like we don't even have to do anything and risk looking like a bad guy - they're doing all the work for us and sanctioning themselves right the fk out of our economy.

Good. Great, in fact.

Good and bad. Ukraine still has a decent sized population for Russian goods for sale, like Avtovaz. Oh well, there are other markets as long as Russia attempts to actually get into them (they don't seem interested in expanding much).

Kremlin insists Ukraine's debt to Russia is not private

MOSCOW, October 30. / TASS /. Moscow's stance on the debt of Ukraine has not changed - Kiev is obliged to pay it on time, the Russia president's spokesman secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Russia's position has not undergone any changes. Russia still insists that it is not private but it is sovereign, public debt that must be paid. The Ukrainian side has such an obligation, it must be met," Peskov said.

The Ukrainian financial authorities have said on many occasions they consider Russia’s $3 billion loan to be a commercial debt and insist on its restructuring. Meanwhile, Russia insists the loan is a state debt and demands its full redemption.

Debt restructuring results are crucial for Ukraine to get new loan tranches from the IMF.

Russia made a decision in late 2013 to invest up to $15 billion in Ukraine’s sovereign Eurobonds. Soon afterwards, Russia bought Ukraine’s first Eurobond tranche worth $3 billion with a two-year maturity and a coupon rate of 5% per annum and coupon payments every six months.

Russia subsequently decided against investing the other $12 billion in Ukraine’s bonds.

Russia’s Finance Ministry is not discussing transfer of Ukraine’s debt to Vnesheconombank

Ukraine’s mass media reported earlier citing sources in Vnesheconombank that the state-owned bank is holding negotiations with the Russian Government on transfer of the debt to the bank’s balance
Vnesheconombank headquarters

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The Russia’s Finance Ministry is not discussing transfer of Ukraine’s debt to state-owned Vnesheconombank (VEB), Deputy Minister Sergei Storchak said on Monday.

"No, this is not discussed," Storchak said responding to the question whether Ukraine’s debt transfer to VEB’s balance is considered.

Ukraine’s mass media reported earlier citing sources in Vnesheconombank that the state-owned bank is holding negotiations with the Russian Government on transfer of the debt to the bank’s balance and further transfer of these funds to the equity of its Ukrainian subsidiary Prominvestbank.

Prominvestbank will then present securities to the Ukraine’s Finance Ministry for repayment.

According to the official, the situation with Ukraine’s $3 bln debt to Russia so far follows the legal proceedings scenario.

"An option for the parties to reach an agreement outside the legal proceedings framework always exists in any civil relationship. Another point is on what conditions and under what circumstances. The process follows the legal proceedings scenario to date," the deputy minister said.

If the Ukrainian side fails to make payment in December, "all the procedures related to operation of covenants inside the offering memorandum will be launched," Storchak said.

It is not a simple matter to start legal proceedings, the deputy minister said. "These procedures are under preparation and will be started in due course," he added.

The Russian Ministry of Finance does not take part in meetings of Ukraine’s private lenders on the debt restructuring and insists the debt has a different status and is an official one, Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said earlier. If Kiev fails to repay $3 bln, Russia will take legal action, he added.

George1 wrote:Ukraine withdrew from the agreement with Russia on mutual information on export of MANPADS

Well, we all know where those manpads are going to go to.  At least Russia then would have a legitimate reason to strike at Ukraine.

Russia may sue Ukraine over unpaid debt starting December 30 — finance minister

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he has a felling Kiev won't pay "because they are crooks"

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. Russia will be able to take Ukraine to court ten days after December 20 over its default on the $3 billion loan if Kiev fails to repay the debt to the last cent, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has told the media.

"Our action will be simple. In accordance with the emission prospectus all disputes shall be settled in courts of arbitration in line with international legislation. If the debt fails to be paid, Ukraine on December 20 will still have a ten-day deadline for complying with its commitments. If Ukraine defaults, we will protect our interests legally. We will go to court," Siluanov said.

Siluanov noted that no international partner gave Russia guarantees on Ukrainian debt of $3 bln. It was reported earlier that the United States declined to give guarantees.

"We have said that we were prepared for an installment plan for the repayment of $3 bln over three years, demanding only guarantees from the US, the EU, or a major bank. No one has agreed to give us such guarantees," the minister said.

According to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the United States and Western countries deciding not to give guarantees on the debt means they lack confidence in solvency of the Ukrainian economy

"If we are not supported in this by the IMF, and by the way, our partners, because the president has spoken about this, and I have written letters to the European Union; we approached the Americans - help Ukraine to ensure debt payment. We are ready to give them an instalment plan as long as they pay," Medvedev said.

"What did they tell us? "We will not help in any way, will not ensure anything" - that means only one thing - they do not believe in the solvency of Ukraine. They did not give guarantees on Ukraine themselves, and did not allow first-class banks to do that, which could do that for Ukraine, if they had adopted an instalment plan," he added.

Medvedev also pointed out that the Russian government’s firm position is that Ukraine must pay on Russian loan.

"They are obligated to repay the loan. This is our firm position," the prime minister said.

However, he noted that he thinks Kiev won't pay.

"I have a feeling that they will not repay [the debt - TASS], because they are crooks. They refuse to return the money," the prime minister said.

"Of course, we will not put up with this. We will go to court, we will seek a credit default and default on all loans of Ukraine," Medvedev said.

The official noted his surprise over the IMF’s stance on the status of Ukraine’s debt to Russia. He dismissed as utterly groundless all doubts whether it was really a sovereign debt.

"Whenever two governments strike a deal, it’s a sovereign loan. This has never been called in question. It’s just amazing international organizations are now saying that this loan 'is not quite sovereign’," Medvedev told Russian TV channels. That’s nonsense! A flagrant and cynical lie!"

The IMF should reflect not only the interests of borrower states but of the lender states, too.

"For the first time ever in its history the IMF has made a decision in favour of supporting a borrower country in defiance of the real state of affairs and in defiance of the existing legal agreements entirely for political reasons. This seriously undermines confidence in the decisions the IMF takes," Medvedev warned.

He believes the international financial system is unfair.

"The largest economies, such as China are not getting what they should be entitled to in the IMF," Medvedev explained.

"Confidence in it will be undermined unless we reform this system in the near future," he said.

Russia’s Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukayev also dwelled upon the issue noting that the decision of the IMF regarding the debt of Ukraine creates a problem for the global market for sovereign debt in general.

"Of course we have a negative attitude. It [the IMF decision on sovereign debt - TASS] is especially strange if applies to the past loans ... This is a problem not only for Russia, Ukraine, but the overall global market of sovereign debt," he said.

According to him, the decision is pushing Ukraine closer to default.

On November 16, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has proposed to Ukraine to pay in installments in 2016-2018 years, $1 bln per year.

"In my opinion we made an unexpected offer to our partners," he said. "We haven’t not just agreed to restructure the Ukrainian debt, we have offered better conditions than the International Monetary Fund was asking of us. We were asked to postpone the payment for the next year in the amount of 3 bln [US dollars - TASS]. I said that we were ready for a deeper restructuring. We are ready not to receive any money this year, $1 bln next year, another $1 bln in 20187 and 2018," Putin added.

"Our partners are confident that the creditworthiness of Ukraine will grow, and we have no reason to doubt that we might even receive 3 bln [US dollars - TASS] next year, our partners have no concerns to guarantee the loan," Putin said. He noted that Russia has asked for such guarantees from either the United States government or from the European Union, or from one of the international financial institutions. "We hope that this issue will be resolved by the beginning of December this year, due to a specific timetable of the IMF," Putin said.

Putin Introduces Law to Suspend Free Trade Agreement With Ukraine

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/business/20151217/1031880310/law-putin-ukraine-trade.html#ixzz3uea22U1p

State Duma to consider suspension of free trade zone between Russia, Ukraine

On December 17, President Putin submitted a federal bill on suspending the treaty on a free trade zone as regards Ukraine

MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Russia’s State Duma is expected to give endorsement to a presidential bill on suspending the agreement on a free trade zone between Russia and Ukraine as of January 1, 2016.

"We’re adopting this law to protect Russia’s economic interests as the economic chapters of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement (AA) are going into effect," Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin told reporters.

On December 17, President Putin submitted a federal bill on suspending the treaty on a free trade zone as regards Ukraine. The explanatory note appended to the bill said it envisioned suspension of the preferential treatment of Ukraine in trade relations.

The ancillary documents noted a radical change of circumstances, which Russian found meaningful when the agreement on the free trade zone was signed, in view of transition of the trade and economic chapters of the AA into legal effect as of January 1, 2016.

"The Ukrainian side has de facto renounced development of trade and economic cooperation in the format of the CIS and has opted for the pathway of an all-round integration in the EU," the explanatory note said.

It pointed out in particular the tariff liberalization envisioned by the AA, which might inflict considerable damage on the Russian economy.

The note also said Ukraine’s obligations under association with the EU ran counter to the provisions of the agreement on the free trade zone in what concerned duty-free trade.

"This situation makes it necessary to take urgent steps towards the suspension of the Russian-Ukrainian agreement," it said. "The move meets Russia’s interests and conforms to its legislation."

President Putin said at the major annual news conference with Russian and foreign reporters earlier last week Russia was not going to impose any sanctions on Kiev but Ukraine would lose certain discounts and preferences after the suspension of the free trade zone.

Ukrainian radicals threaten to resume blockade of Russian trucks after February 25

More:
http://tass.ru/en/world/858322

Russian, Kiev financial authorities discuss Ukraine’s debt

More:
http://tass.ru/en/economy/874933