Russia ups the economic pressure on Ukraine | EurActiv

Russia ups the economic pressure on Ukraine | EurActiv

President Vladimir Putin raised the pressure on
Ukraine yesterday (29 January), saying Russia would wait until the
neighbouring country formed a new government, before fully implementing a
$15 billion (€11 billion) bailout deal that Kyiv urgently needs. Russia
also started extra border checks with Ukraine.

Putin repeated a promise he made at the
EU-Russia summit on Tuesday to honour the lifeline agreement with
Ukraine in full (see background), but left open the timing of the next
aid installment as Kiev struggles to calm more than two months of
turmoil since President Victor Yanukovich walked away from a treaty with
the European Union.

A day after Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned on Tuesday, hoping
to appease the opposition and street protesters, Russia tightened border
checks on imports from Ukraine in what looked like a reminder to
Yanukovich not to install a government that tilts policy back towards
the West.

Ukraine's new interim prime minister Serhiy Arbuzov promised to try
to limit the economic damage inflicted by the sometimes violent street
protests, and said he expected Russia to disburse a further $2 billion
(€1.46 billion) aid installment "very soon".

Putin had less of a sense of urgency. "I would ask the [Russian]
government to fulfill all our financial agreements in full," he said,
repeating a promise made on Tuesday after the government resigned in
Kiev.