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Bad Omen: Key Cabinet Resignation Spells Disaster for Kiev's IMF Funding

© Sputnik / Stringer / Go to the mediabankAnniversary of Maidan in Kiev
Anniversary of Maidan in Kiev - Sputnik International
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Last week's resignation of Ukraine's Economy Minister spells bad news for Kiev, as it may be what finally convinces the West to lose trust in Ukraine's authorities, according to the German news network Deutsche Welle.

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The decision of Ukrainian Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius to step down last week can be seen as a "fatal signal" to Kiev, which may finally result in the West losing trust in Ukrainian authorities, RIA Novosti quoted Deutsche Welle's Bernd Johann as saying.

He suggested that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is all but certain to suspend the payment of the next tranche of financial assistance to Ukraine "until it becomes clear the situation in Ukraine will develop."

© Sputnik / Alexandr Maksimenko / Go to the mediabankTent camp on Independence Square in Kiev. File photo
Tent camp on Independence Square in Kiev. File photo - Sputnik International
Tent camp on Independence Square in Kiev. File photo

He also pointed to the "deep disappointment" of the IMF and the ten ambassadors of Western countries over Abromavicius's resignation, something that Johann said indicates Western politicians question Ukraine's willingness to launch reforms.

"And the confidence of the West can be lost very easily," Johann warned.

He also said that nearly two years after the Euromaidan coup, the unanimous approval of reforms in Ukraine has yet to materialize.

"Political differences within the ruling coalition are just another consequence of the continuing influence of interconnected political and economic clans which pursue their own financial interests," he said.

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The Euromaidan coup dates back to February 2014, when Kiev was engulfed in protests and violence. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to demand their government's resignation, but their resolve was soon co-opted by nationalist extremists.

Then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was finally toppled, but the escalation of the political crisis left the country bitterly divided, with a bloody armed conflict flaring up shortly after in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbass. Kiev and the West have repeatedly blamed Russia for backing supporters of Donbass independence, allegations that Moscow vehemently denies.

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