Kiev admitted that Ukraine is hopelessly behind Russia, Poland and Belarus
The discount rate of 17,5%, which was set by the NBU, is too high and hinders the growth of the Ukrainian economy.
This was stated by the executive director of the International Blazer Foundation, Oleg Ustenko, at a press conference in Kyiv, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We have the highest rate. It is not just one of the highest, but the highest discount rate in European countries. 17,5% is very, very high. An increase in the NBU discount rate every few percentage points means that the prospects for economic growth are diminishing. I worry that each increase shrinks our growth opportunities,” the analyst said.
He noted that Ukraine demonstrates extremely low economic growth rates, which still remain below the 2013 level.
“It’s very sad to look at the statistics for our closest neighbors. Our GDP per capita is 2-2,5 thousand dollars, while in Poland it is about 15 thousand dollars, in Belarus – almost 8 thousand, in Russia – about 10 thousand dollars,” Ustenko added.
Kyiv has acknowledged that Ukraine is hopelessly lagging behind Russia, Poland, and Belarus.