PM: Moscow to wait 3 weeks for Kiev bond debt payment guarantees

MANILA, Nov 19 (PRIME) -- Russia wants an offer on Ukrainian U.S. $3 billion Eurobond debt rescheduling agreed upon within three weeks, and in particular, it wants to see third party guarantees of repayment in that term, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a conference Thursday.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to receive no money in December 2015, when redemption was scheduled, and to get annual tranches in 2016–2018.

“The debt decision must be made some time in the next three weeks,” Medvedev said.

He said that Moscow will accept guarantees from the U.S., the E.U. or some of its states, or from a first-tier international bank.

Ukraine must acknowledge the debt to Russia as sovereign, Medvedev said. “But naturally, if we go to the length of rescheduling, it’s time we stop acting up about the recognition of the sovereign nature of this debt.”

Russia’s Eurobond debt reclaim talks are not connected with sanctions, he said. Russia is not asking Western countries to repeal the sanctions.

“I do not know what they will do, we are not asking them for anything, there is no point in this. We are in negotiations with Ukraine for one simple reason that Ukraine is a state close to us and whatever the political relations, people close to us live there, there is a nation close to us there,” he said.

End