Presidential Secretariat concerned over terms of Russia's USD 5bn loan for Ukraine

President Viktor Yushchenko says that the talks of Ukraine's governmental delegation with Russia's representatives on extending a loan for Ukraine have been held with violation of legal regulations, press-secretary Iryna Vannykova has announced today.

She explained that the President did not approve the directives for these talks and did not receive the relevant documents from the government. According to Vannykova, the Head of State considers it inadmissible when crucial issues for the country are decided behind-the-scenes.

All the more so, as at these talks one is trying to unite receiving of the loan by Ukraine with ratification of the agreement "on zero option" and put a question about the fate of the Ukrainian gas transmission system.

Vannykova reminded that the so-called "zero option" provides for the partition of property of the former USSR based on which Russia assumes all debts of the USSR on itself with Ukraine refusing from its claims against any property of the USSR, including abroad.

Andriy Kyslynsky, Deputy Head of the Presidential Secretariat, voiced concerns saying Ukraine with Premier Tymoshenko "may repeat a scenario of Belarus which lost its control over own gas transmission system and a number of strategic enterprises under a debt pressure from Russia".

The official noted that Y. Tymoshenko "cannot but know about a tragic experience of the neighbors". Based on the fact of "behind-the-scenes" negotiations with Moscow he made a political conclusion "The fact that, on the one hand, the matter concerns Kremlin's support for the Ukrainian Premier, is actually uncontroversial yet. On the other hand - it is still unknown how this policy may affect Ukraine, every Ukrainian family".

As reported, Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko confirmed that the Ukrainian party has got a positive answer from Russia regarding extension of a credit. Tymoshenko stressed that the government "is in talks with many other partners to secure necessary loans for covering a fiscal deficit". For that purpose, she addressed the governments of Russia, US, Japan, China and leadership of the European Union. "We have already got positive replies on these letters from some countries, including from Russia," Tymoshenko underscored.

UKRINFORM