BERLIN (Sputnik) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not confirm on Wednesday reports that German investors are massively leaving Ukraine.
“As for businesses, I cannot speak for every single business. Businesses decide independently whether to make investments or not, but we wish the majority of businesses to stay. I have no indication that German enterprises are going to massively abandon Ukraine,” Merkel said at the joint news conference with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Berlin.
Ukraine’s economy faces a dramatic downturn following a military operation in the Southeast of the country, launched by Kiev forces in April 2014 against local independence supporters, who refused to recognize legitimacy of a new government that came to power after a coup.
In spring 2014, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) promised Kiev $17 billion in bailout loans to stabilize the economic situation in the country. In addition, several Western countries allocated funds to Ukraine to help the country rebuild its economy and enact structural reforms.
