Yatseniuk says 7% GDP fall ‘normal’ for country at war

REUTERS

"The economic decline was forecast at 10%, [but] now we are expecting 7%,” Yatseniuk said during a meeting of the cabinet, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

“Although this is a negative indicator, in a state of war such a result is a normal one,” Yatseniuk said.

At the same time, Yatseniuk noted that Ukraine would have been unable to meet its external obligations in 2014 of $9.1 billion without the help of international lenders, who helped to raise about $8.6 billion for the country.

"The government has resumed cooperation with international institutional investors, the help of which we appreciate,” the prime minister said.

“Without them we would not have been able to fulfill our external obligations.”