Ukraine has to pay off 33 bln USD of debts in five years: PM

KIEV, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine has to pay off about 33 billion U.S. dollars of debts in the coming five years, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said here Tuesday.

Speaking at the 13th meeting of heads of Ukraine's foreign diplomatic institutions, Groysman said debt-servicing is a "serious burden" for Ukraine that uses about 5 percent of its gross domestic product annually to support the defense sector.

According to the Finance Ministry, the state debt stood at 66.1 billion dollars by the end of June. Out of that sum, Ukraine owed 57 percent to foreign lenders and 43 percent to local creditors.