MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia will turn to arbitration courts if Ukraine fails to repay the $3-billion debt by the end of the year, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Tuesday.
"We will act in accordance with the agreements on the investment of money from the National Welfare Fund into Ukrainian bonds that stipulate that we will turn to arbitration courts if the money is not repaid," he said.
According to Siluanov, he and his Ukrainian counterpart Natalie Jaresko discussed the situation, with the latter assuring the Russian minister that the debt had been taken into account in Ukraine's budget.
In December 2013, Russia bought $3 billion worth of bonds from Ukraine, with Kiev due to pay the debt off by December 2015. The Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that they expect Ukraine to fulfill its obligations.
