Ukraine Receives $3 bn First Tranche of Russian Bailout

Ukraine on Tuesday received $3.0 billion in the first tranche of a financial rescue plan from Russia that has been denounced by the pro-European opposition, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

"The National Bank of Ukraine has received the first tranche on its account. It is a stabilizing factor for us," he said during talks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, the Ukrainian government website quoted him as saying.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to buy a total of $15 billion (11 billion euros) of Ukraine's debt in eurobonds in a deal to ease Ukraine's financial crisis.