Putin about Kiev’s reforms: good in form, abuse in substance

As Ukraine conducts structural economic reforms, President of Russia Vladimir Putin says they are good in form but abuse in substance. The president said the situation in Ukraine was discussed at the talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

After the leaders made their statements, one of the journalists present asked Putin to comment on the reforms carried out in Ukraine, amid ruined economy, price hikes, and three-fold rise in the gas tariff.

“We have talked about it,” the president said. “Everything is right in form, but travesty in substance.”

Putin pointed at Lukashenko’s efforts to “help resolve the problem.” “We are grateful for organization of the latest quite uneasy, but extremely necessary talks in the Normandy format in Minsk,” the Russian leader said.

As EAD reported earlier, Ukraine’s energy watchdog increased the gas tariff for the population 3.3-fold to 3600 hryvnia per 1,000 cu m starting April 1. The gas tariff for the fuel and energy companies were increased by 2.2 times. The raise of the gas tariff was a key condition set by the IMF for providing a loan to Ukraine.