Ukraine's Inflation Rate for 2015 to Be Over 30% - National Bank

 KIEV (Sputnik) – Ukraine's inflation rate for 2015 will be more than 30 percent, Ukrainian National Bank deputy head Dmytro Sologub said Friday.

"In regard to inflation, we will probably not see a figure of under 30 percent," Sologub said during a conference dedicated to Ukrainian exports.

In February, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the country's inflation rate will be 26 percent in 2015.

The country's annual inflation rate reached 24.9 percent in December 2014, according to a Ukraine State Statistics service January estimate.

On December 31, 2014, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a law on the state budget for 2015, based on an inflation rate of 13.1 percent.

The conflict in Ukraine, which began when Kiev launched a military operation against eastern Ukraine's independence supporters in April 2014, has had a direct impact on the country's economy.

Ukrainian authorities have made an attempt to help the deteriorating economy with international loans. According to the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine's external debt is projected to exceed 150 percent of the country's GDP in 2015.