The IMF’s statement that progress has been made in the negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities about another tranche of $5.5bn does not bode well for Ukraine, People’s Council deputy Roman Lepa stated.
“Zelensky’s team is dragging Ukraine’s economy into debtors’ prison more and more. According to the Ukrainian Finance Ministry, the state will have to pay the IMF $1.4bn of its arrears in 2020 alone. Finance Minister Oksana Markarova hopes that the program on this loan will be the last “in a good sense” and that Ukraine will be able to get out of debt dependence from the IMF.
However, the majority of experts are inclined to a different viewpoint. IMF representatives are negotiating to fence Ukrainian oligarchs off from influencing Zelensky’s team, so they could dictate the terms to it themselves. In particular, one of the main conditions during the negotiations on the tranche was a bill preventing Ukrainian oligarch Kolomoysky from regaining control over Privatbank.
What they have now is the targeted policy of international bank capital to fully control the Ukrainian government, and President Zelensky can do nothing about that. As long as the Ukrainian President and his team listen to their overseas handlers, there will be no peace in Donbass, the Minsk Agreements will not be implemented, and Ukraine itself will not be allowed to escape debt slavery,” the MP said.