French Ambassador: there is a risk that reforms will be negated in Ukraine
At a joint interview with German Ambassador to Ukraine Ernst Reichel with Interfax-Ukraine , the Ambassador of France to Ukraine, Isabelle Dumont said that she believes that Ukraine has not yet reached the point of no return and that reforms in the state should continue.
"Basically, the question is something we all have been asking ourselves for the past years: Have we reached the point of no return [in the reform process]? I think, fortunately, not yet," Dumont said.
She also noted that there is always a risk of rollback of reforms.
"[Ukrainians] see that Ukraine has not reached the point of no return yet. They are afraid. They don’t see the results in their everyday lives, and they know the situation can become worse. This is why those last reforms to be made, especially the anti-corruption court, are so important to show that yes, now we are really getting there," the diplomat clarified.
Dumont stressed that reforms take time to become visible and tangible for the population. Reichel, in turn, added that the financial losses sustained by every person in Ukraine were caused by the conflict with Russia and by mistakes made by past Ukrainian leaders.
"Remember, about 10 years ago everyone had foreign currency loans and then lost a lot of money on that. Very basic mistakes were made by the political leadership of the country at the time, whose effects are still felt today," he explained.
Earlier, the US State Department called on Ukraine to redouble its efforts in carrying out reforms that the International Monetary Fund had observed to be slowing down.