BRUSSELS, September 26. /TASS/. Euractiv columnist Thomas Moller-Nielsen cast doubt on Kiev’s statements on the impending $27 bln budget deficit and the necessity of additional funding.

Claims were already made earlier this year that Ukraine would run out of money in April, yet this did not happen, he said, adding that Kiev’s behavior at the time did not correspond to the situation of a country on the edge of financial collapse.

Vladimir Zelensky announced a budget deficit of $27 bln, but the figures do not agree, according to Moller-Nielsen. Neither the European Commission nor the IMF could confirm them. Roughly $29.5 bln in external funding is being held up due to the Ukrainian parliament’s inability to pass reforms, the author noted.

Kiev’s demands for extra funds are politically, not economically motivated, the columnist concluded.