Russian FM Spokeswoman Mocks EU Envoy Over Comments on Ukraine's Debt

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has dismissed as “controversial” a proposal by the EU Envoy to Moscow Vigaudas Ushatskas to write off 20 percent if Ukraine’s debt as a “friendly gesture” but not to expect any lifting of the sanctions imposed on it by the EU.

“Over the past few days Mr. Ushatskas has made a number of fascinating but somewhat controversial statements… One day he said that Russia should write off 20 percent of Ukraine’s debt as a ‘friendly gesture’ only to say the next that we should not expect any lifting of the EU sanctions as a New Year gift,” Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook on Friday.

She wondered why Russia should give presents without expecting a return gift in the form of a lifting of the illegal sanctions maintained by the West essentially due to Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk accords.

Maria Zakharova emphasized that even though Ukraine was getting “New Year presents” in the form of millions of dollars each year, “the result of these loans was next to nil, probably because this money was not coming from the heart.”

Vigaudas Ushatskas earlier expressed confidence that the implementation of the Minsk accords would serve as a “unifying factor in EU-Russia relations.”