MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the country's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on Tuesday to discuss an additional loan to help Ukraine repay its $3 billion debt to Russia with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Russia, which purchased $3 billion in Eurobonds from Kiev in December 2013, maintains that Ukraine’s debt must be paid in full by the end of 2015.
"Mistakes will be reduced if contacts are direct and working, aimed at solving all problems, including in the financial sector. I ask you to continue this dialogue both with partners in Kiev and our colleagues in the IMF," Putin said at a government meeting.
Ukraine has been increasingly reliant on external help in order to restore its struggling economy, which was significantly weakened by a change in power in 2014 and a subsequent outbreak of hostilities in the country’s southeast.
The IMF is one of Kiev's main creditors. In March, the fund approved a four-year $17.5-billion assistance package to Ukraine to revive the country's economy and has already provided Kiev with two tranches under the financial aid program.
