Soros Says Ready to Invest $1 Bln in Ukraine If West Helps

Soros Says Ready to Invest $1 Bln in Ukraine If West Helps

(China Foto Press/Getty Images)

Monday, 30 Mar 2015 06:29 AM

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/soros-invest-1-billion/2015/03/30/id/635184/

Billionaire financier George Soros is ready to invest $1 billion in Ukraine, if Western countries help private investment there. He also put the odds of Greece leaving the euro at a third, in an interview with Austrian newspaper Der Standard.

Soros has previously urged the West to step up aid to Ukraine, outlining steps towards a $50 billion financing package that he said should be viewed as a bulwark against an increasingly aggressive Russia.

"The West can help Ukraine by increasing attractiveness for investors. A political risk insurance is necessary. This could take the form of mezzanine financing at EU interest rates -- very close to zero," he said in an interview published on Monday.

"I stand ready. There are concrete investment ideas, for example in agriculture and infrastructure projects. I would put in $1 billion. This must generate a profit. My foundation would benefit from this ... Private engagement needs strong political leadership."

The Hungarian-born hedge fund magnate, who made his name betting against the pound in 1992, also put the chance of Greece leaving the euro zone at a third. Last week he put it at 50:50.

Ukraine

Leonid Kuchma was the president of the Ukraine, and Victor Pinchuk is his son-in-law.

Note: Victor Pinchuk is Leonid Kuchma’s son-in-law, was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and a board member for the International Crisis Group.

Gianna Angelopoulos was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, an organizing committee president for Greece, is the ambassador-at-large for Greece, and a co-founder for the Angelopoulos Foundation.

Phillips Talbot was a U.S. ambassador for Greece, and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Angelopoulos Foundation was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Yegor Gaidar was a board member for the International Crisis Group, and the prime minister of Russia.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, a board member for the International Crisis Group, a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Jean-Claude Trichet is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, and was the president of the European Central Bank.

European Central Bank sets the monetary policy for the Eurozone.

Mario Draghi is the president of the European Central Bank, and was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Carlos Pascual was a VP for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a U.S. ambassador for the Ukraine.

Steven Pifer was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a U.S. ambassador for the Ukraine.