Medvedev: Ukraine should take care of southeast reconstruction
MOSCOW. Sept 8 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is hopeful that the Ukrainian administration will seek a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis and restore the damaged regions.
"Regretfully, the Ukrainian crisis goes on. This is an extreme tragedy. Yet I hope it will be resolved with the goodwill of the Ukrainian administration and the proposals put forward by Russia... There is a need for delicate efforts aimed at preserving the peace. Hopefully, this can be done," Medvedev said in an interview with Vedomosti, which he gave on the occasion of the newspaper's 15th anniversary.
Alongside the humanitarian catastrophe, south-eastern Ukraine has huge economic problems caused by the destruction of homes and industrial buildings, the prime minister said.
"How they can be restored is a very big problem. But this should be dealt with by Ukraine, since the Ukrainian authorities deem these regions to be a part of the country," Medvedev said.
"Those who decide to use artillery, tanks and planes against their own citizens and cities have to understand that they will pay a colossal economic price. And the forces encouraging them have to understand they will have to help," the prime minister said, adding that such assistance had yet to be given.
Russia will support south-eastern Ukraine anyway, the premier said. He added that lately Russia had been obliged to finance refugees and that these expenditures "neared one billion rubles."
