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Article: The "New President" of Ukraine.
- Article from:
- World Affairs
- Article date:
- January 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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REFORMING THE GOVERNMENT, FACILITATING ARMS EXPORTS
Leonid Kuchma was re-elected president of Ukraine on 14 November 1999. In his 30 November inaugural speech, he promised to be a "new president." Once again, he promised what Ukrainians and foreign creditors have been waiting for--swift and radical economic reform. However, this time Kuchma seems to be more likely to keep his promises, mostly because the country is in a desperate situation. Ukraine's foreign debt amounts to about $12.5 billion. In 2000, the country has to pay more than $3 billion on foreign debts while having only $1.2 billion in hard currency reserve. To avoid default with devastating ...