Kolomoisky sees good window of opportunity for amicable agreement on PrivatBank
Ihor Kolomoisky in dispute on the nationalization of PrivatBank, the owner of which he was earlier, is ready to make do with the satisfaction for accusations against him and an amicable agreement and sees a good window of opportunities for this.
"We declared that we do not want disasters, but we only want a legal assessment and after that – an amicable agreement, a way out of this situation. We do not need a bank at any cost," he said on the sidelines of the 16th YES conference organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv on Friday.
He did not specify the details of this amicable agreement. "A kind of the amicable agreement, somehow get out of the situation. It cannot be forever in suspense. Today is a good window of opportunity," Kolomoisky said.
The businessman added that he was ready to abandon claims for returning to the shareholders of PrivatBank. "Maybe I wanted to [return the bank], but if the situation does not allow it, and this will entail turbulence in the market, then I would not want to," the ex-owner said, explaining his position.
"First of all, we need satisfaction for everything that they said and wrote about us," Kolomoisky said.
When asked by journalists, the businessman said that at a recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the issue of PrivatBank was not discussed.
Kolomoisky also said that a possible amicable agreement on the bank is not connected with the lawsuit of Ukrnafta's minority shareholders against Ukraine in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, where they demand $5.4 billion. "I cannot speak for those who are suing in the Stockholm arbitration tribunal in the Ukrnafta case," the businessman said.
"In principle, if the question is posed this way, then we can discuss it," he said, answering the question whether this could be a single settlement.
Kolomoisky said that after the change of power in Ukraine, the dispute over the nationalization of PrivatBank is easier to resolve. "Under the previous president [Petro Poroshenko], it was difficult, because it is difficult to settle it and fight with a person who himself did all this and was a direct participant," he said.
"Today, apart from, let's say, some of the leaders of the National Bank, there is no one of those, who participated in the nationalization of PrivatBank, in power," he said.
Kolomoisky said that government representatives can now "take the initiative, if they are interested, mandate negotiators who will enter into negotiations with our negotiators, and as a result, we can agree on something."
"I think that they [the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine] are currently undergoing consultations, they have something to do, and they are adapting to [the new situation]. But we will wait, [we will see] how much time will pass," he said.
According to the businessman, the Finance Ministry has an understanding that it is necessary "to somehow get out of this situation."