Russia to be tough with Ukraine on debt
Russia will take a tough approach with Ukraine if it defaults on its debts, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said.
Speaking on Russian television on Saturday, he said his country would "adopt as tough a position as possible" if Ukraine was unable to repay the $3bn it borrowed in 2013.
His comments come after Ukraine passed a law allowing it delay foreign debt repayments.
Medvedev said: "Probably they are talking about private debts, but at the same time they are hinting that they aren't prepared to pay off the debts of the Yanukovich government.
"If it is actually formulated in this way this would undoubtedly be a default of Ukraine [...] We would adopt as tough a position as possible in this case and defend our national interests"
He said the country would collect the debt using "all instruments that exist", including "judicial procedures".