In a statement dated 18 September, Mr Nikolay Azarov also said that Ukraine’s economy had now turned into a “zombie”, showing signs of survival only thanks to Western financial resources.
The former prime minister said Ukraine is facing minimal GDP growth, devaluation of the hryvna, rising public debt and a large budget deficit.
Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Nikolay Azarov – Photo: KYIV POST
“The clearest example of the serious situation is that there is a deficit of more than $6 billion in the country’s budget to pay the Ukrainian army alone,” Mr. Azarov said with a gloomy prediction that Ukraine would take more than 30 years to catch up. May be required. equivalent to the level of the Romanian or Polish economy today.
In contrast, in a statement the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian economy is better than expected, according to the news agency. TASS,
According to Mr Putin, despite previous negative forecasts, Russia’s GDP could grow by 2.5%, even 2.8% by the end of this year. In April, one forecast predicted growth of only 1.2%, and some even predicted a decline in Russia’s GDP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin – Photo: TASS
The Russian President also said that the Russian economy has recently faced unprecedented external pressures, but has now fully recovered, with GDP reaching 2021 levels.
Mr Putin has tasked the government and the Central Bank to implement measures to support the local currency, explore the causes and address inflation and take measures to prevent ruble weakness.
