The Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Vladyslav Krykliy said in the program Right to Power on Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel that Kyiv intends to demand reparations from Russia in order to the restore the Donbas.

According to the Ukrainian Minister, after the conflict resolution in the Donbas and when the region comes under Kyiv’s control, Ukraine will require the funds for its restoration, which, of course, must be paid in the form of “reparations” by the “aggressor country,” which is Russia. At the same time, he did not name the amount that Russia should pay to Ukraine for occupying its territory. “It is difficult to assess the damage caused by the occupation due to the impossibility of conducting audits in the territories that are not controlled by Kyiv,” said Krykliy.

The Minister also noted that Ukrainian citizens wouldn’t pay for the damage in the uncontrolled territory. “A priori, this is impossible. They [Russia] should return the territory to us first, then the aggressor country should pay reparations, and then we will talk about how we will invest and rebuild this region,” said Krykliy as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, currently, the government of Ukraine plans to restore only the part of the region that is controlled by Ukraine by inviting investors, and there is no talk of restoring the territories of the Donbas that are not controlled by Kyiv.

Earlier, Serhiy Trofimov, First Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, estimated the cost of restoring the territory of the Donbas that is controlled by Kyiv at about 372 million euros. This amount, according to Ukrainian officials, will be required for the reconstruction of transport infrastructure, industrial, and residential buildings. The cost of restoration of territories not controlled by Kyiv was not provided. According to the Ukrainian side, it might be several times higher than the price of restoration of territories controlled by Ukraine.

© 2019 UAWire

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