Russia Invested $200 Billion In Ukraine Over 20 Years, Claims Minister
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The Russian government has poured over $200 billion in loans and economic aid into Ukraine over the last 20 years, claimed Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukaev on Monday, emphasising why Russia has shown such strong interest in the future of Ukraine.
“Perhaps our European and US friends don’t understand that we supported the Ukrainian economy,” the minister said in an interview with RT News.
The Russian government has poured over $200 billion in loans and economic aid into Ukraine over the last 20 years, claimed Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukaev on Monday, emphasising why Russia has shown such strong interest in the future of Ukraine.
“Perhaps our European and US friends don’t understand that we supported the Ukrainian economy,” the minister said in an interview with RT News.
“Russia is interested in a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine. We will continue to search the way out of the Ukrainian crisis, and will orient on all regions and all social groups which shall define the future by their selves,” he added.
According to Ulyukaev, the $200 billion sum came in the form of loans and “artificially underestimating gas and other resource prices.”
Russia and Ukraine also hold around 400 agreements, 40 of which, Ulyukaev claims, are basic and cannot be “just put aside and forgotten.”
“There is a high possibility that it (Ukraine joining up with the EU) will force us to reconsider our system of tariffs and fees, which currently operate between Ukraine and members of the Customs Union – Russia, Belorussia and Kazakhstan,” Ulyukayev said.
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In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin estimated that Russian discounts to Ukraine for natural gas over the past four years had amounted to $35.4 billion. He added that under contracts signed in 2009, Ukraine received 147.2 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia.
Since February however, Russia has suspended the gas discounts for Ukraine, and is now demanding $3.5 billion in advance payment before June 3 or else gas deliveries could be suspended.
The West has accused Moscow of using Ukraine’s dependence on Russia’s natural resources to influence the country’s internal affairs. Ukraine has also insisted that it would not pay Russia unless the past price point was put back in place.
Thus far, Moscow has responded by saying that the EU and the US are welcome to pay Kiev’s debts and support its economy, “as Russia did for almost two decades”.
