Arseniy Yatsenyuk promises MPs Santa Claus right at Verkhovna Rada on December 31 in case of non-adoption of 2016 budget

"We will find a way to provide the country with a budget. We, as Government of Ukraine, will insure Ukraine against destroying financial stability of the country, stopping funding the army, national police, non-payment of pensions and salaries since irresponsibility of some parliamentary factions and MPs of Ukraine will lead us precisely to this - non-payment of pensions, non-payment of wages, a lack of funding for the Ukrainian army, police, schools, hospitals, actually an economic disaster in the country. I won’t let this happen," underlined Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the government meeting on Wednesday, 23 December.

He stressed that for three weeks Government’s members jointly with MPs have been working on all necessary budget bills: "The purpose of this work is to arrive at a compromise. Not for some MPs and not for some factions of Parliament, but a compromise for the country."

"All the issues, starting from the state support for the agricultural sector of the country and ending with social benefits and social standards, have been again coordinated at the level of the leadership and some MPs of Ukraine. But MPs cannot realize their responsibility to the country so far," stressed Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

He underlined that the 2016 state budget and all the bills related to the revenues and expenditures of the budget should be adopted: "We have compromised on all the issues. This means that if it is necessary for Ukrainian MPs to celebrate the New Year in the Verkhovna Rada, then this means that we will celebrate it there together with the Government."

"We will find the opportunity to make MPs support the country. And we will find a way to provide the country with the budget. Unless the budget draft is approved, I promise you Santa Claus right in the Verkhovna Rada on December 31," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

The Prime Minister has stressed that Ukraine will receive support only "when the Ukrainian political class, elected in the parliamentary elections, which had formed a pro-European coalition, demonstrates a strong political will for changes and reforms in the country": "When our partners see that we are really working on changes in the country."

"Changes in the country mean primarily a change in the political responsibility of those people who were elected to Parliament, whom Parliament delegated here - and now four political factions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine are represented in the Government of Ukraine - those people who bear full responsibility for the governance of Ukraine to the citizens," he said.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk has informed that tomorrow, at Parliament, the Government and MPs would once again discuss the budget bills: "We have compromised on all the issues. Now only one thing left - to press the button and vote for the bills. If this doesn’t happen on Thursday, well then on Friday. Not on Friday, then on Saturday. We still have time till the New Year and we are to use it productively for the benefit of the country."