Ukraine asks the EU a 2,000 million euros loan to cancel gas debt

RIA Novosti / Iliya Pitalev

Ukraine asked the European Union (EU) an additional loan of EUR 2,000 million ($ 2,600 million dollars) to pay part of its debt with the Russian giant Gazprom and resume gas supply.

“The Commission has received a request from the Ukrainian authorities for an additional loan of 2,000 million euros,” said EU spokesman on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Simon O’Connor.

He explained that this application will now be evaluated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Ukrainian authorities and will be then submitted to the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the EU.

Kiev must pay off a debt of $ 3,100 million, of which $ 2,000 million will be ready by the end of October.

At the time, the energy ministers of Russia and Ukraine are meeting in Brussels to resolve the dispute and reach an agreement to resume the gas supply, interrupted since June.