The Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine could initiate the termination of a contract with Xinjiang Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd. (China) and annulment of the financing by the World Bank for delay in works on the Stryi-Ternopil-Kirovohrad-Znamianka section of M-12 road.

"We have expressed our last wish regarding speeding up the works in accordance with the contract and schedule," Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yuriy Lavreniuk wrote on his Facebook page last week after inspecting this road together with the minister and the head of the Khmelnytsky Regional Administration.

The deputy minister said that the repair of the M-12 road is part of the GO Highway project, which is an image project for Ukraine, and should be completed in line with the schedule.

Lavreniuk indicated October-November 2018 as the deadline for the work.

As reported, Ukravtodor signed a contract with the Chinese contractor Xinjiang Communications Construction Group Co., Ltd. to perform repair with improved safety on the Stryi-Ternopil-Kirovohrad-Znamianka section of M-12 road. The tender was announced on June 16, 2016, and the winner was selected on August 14, 2017. The contract amount is $38.485 million (including VAT). The deadline for the work is 18 months plus 12 months - a defects liability period.