Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Berlin: International conference to support Ukraine due on April 28

On April 28 Kiev will host an international conference to support Ukraine. This was announced by Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a press conference following the meeting with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday, April 1.

"We will report about those difficult but correct reforms pursued in Ukraine. To ensure our international partners could see that we have a new Ukraine, new approaches and those rules that are shared by the entire European community, providing an opportunity to attract investors and to show that Ukraine has started to fight corruption, Ukraine has changed the tax rules, introduced the tax and fiscal discipline, that Ukraine, step by step, is moving closer to the European Union not just in words but in deeds, including by the adoption and execution of laws", stressed the Head of Government of Ukraine.

According to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, during the conference the Government of Ukraine plans “to present further steps to be made by Ukraine, including those with the support of the international community".

"We will discuss Russian aggression against Ukraine and economic consequences suffered by Ukraine, as during a year it has lost 20% of the economy just through the Russian aggression," he stressed.

The event will deal as well with considering the issues of humanitarian assistance, assistance to internally displaced persons and the restoration of Donetsk and Luhansk regions: "A relevant UN report, together with our international partners, will also be presented during the conference".

"The conference’s objective isn’t to collect additional funds. Presently we are acting within the limits of the budget disbursed as a loan from the International Monetary Fund and our international partners," noted the Head of Government of Ukraine.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that previous year Ukraine had signed a one-year cooperation programme with the International Monetary Fund: "Everything envisaged by the program - each point of that has been implemented".

"The International Monetary Fund acknowledged the implementation of reforms in Ukraine. Thus, it was a guarantee that the IMF and our western partners agreed to launch a four-year Extended Fund Facility program, which stipulates a financial resource worth USD 17.5 billion from the IMF, USD 7.5 billion from our western partners and USD 15 billion to be additionally obtained from debt transactions," he stressed.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine explained that a part of these funds would be directed to pay off the external obligations of Ukraine, the remaining funds to fill foreign exchange reserves: "Not a single copeck of these funds is spent to finance social and military expenditures. This direction is the commitment of the Central Government and the Ukrainian authorities: to collect taxes, to pay salaries and pensions and to maintain the Ukrainian military sector".

Arseniy Yatseniuk emphasized that the conference on April 28 would be a first conference for a broad presentation and gaining more political support": "We realize afterwards we need an additional financial resource. And the next stage is in synergy with our German friends we will summon an investment conference - in autumn we will gather a large investment conference".

The Prime Minister of Ukraine stressed that he expects similar conference to be organize in the United States of America, as the U.S. is a partner of Ukraine that makes a significant contribution to support Ukraine.