EBRD denies refusing financial assistance for Ukraine's DTEK

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) asserts that the press report from 24 November did not accurately represent the bank's stance on aiding Ukraine and its energy industry since the start of Russia’s full-scale war.

Source: Corriere della Sera, which previously published the statement of the head of the EBRD.

Details: The bank specifically refuted claims that its president, Odile Renaud-Basso, declined to provide funding for Rinat Akhmetov's DTEK, the largest private energy company in Ukraine.

Quote: "No money for oligarch Akhmetov," which was in the title of one of the stories, was misattributed to the bank's president, according to the EBRD. Additionally, Akhmetov's name was not mentioned once during the interview.

Furthermore, the bank noted that the article's subtitle, which discusses the purported harm to Ukraine's chances of joining the EU due to compromises, is similarly misrepresented.

The EBRD highlights that oligarchs’ role is a significant part of the reforms the bank supports, but it makes no connection between this and the impact on Ukraine’s European integration.

Journalist Federico Fubini, the publication’s author, said that the full transcription of the interview served as the backbone for his piece. He claims that the quotations presented are true and that the queries regarding DTEK and Akhmetov were clear given the conversation's context.

Background: Earlier, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development categorically stated that it would not provide financing to Ukrainian companies controlled by oligarchs, including Ukrainian energy company DTEK.

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