Ukraine seeks to borrow $9 billion on the foreign market in 2017, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk has said.
He said that the Finance Ministry sought to issue the fourth tranche of U.S. secured $1 billion eurobonds, raise $5.3 billion in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and enter the international loan market.
Ukraine could issue eurobonds for the first time in the past three years, he said. It is not urgent for the country to enter the international loan market and Ukraine plans to issue a small volume and investors can get used to the presence of Ukraine on the market and they could be ready for a more serious placement later, he said.
As reported, in October 2015 after the talks, which lasted for about half a year, the holders of 13 out of the 14 issues of Ukrainian eurobonds totaling $14.36 billion and EUR 600 million supported their restructuring. It involves the exchange of 80% of the sum for new eurobonds with maturity prolongation for four years, 20% for state derivatives, repayments on which in 2021-2040 will depend on the pace of GDP growth in the country.
Ukraine only failed to reach a restructuring agreement on the eurobonds bought by Russia, which it financed from the National Welfare Fund at the end of 2013. Russia refused to discuss restructuring on general terms, insisting that the debt was sovereign rather than commercial. In December 2015, the Ukrainian government introduced a moratorium to pay the debt on these eurobonds. (Interfax/Business World Magazine)
