Moscow Threatens Ukraine Money

In one of its biggest playground-bully moves yet, Russia now says it's no longer legally required to give Ukraine a $15 billion bailout package agreed to in December. Russia's deputy finance minister told reporters on Tuesday that not only is the country not legally obligated to pay the remainder, but that it will be unwilling to restructure loans already extended to Ukraine despite claims that the country is on the verge of bankruptcy due to mismanagement by the Russian-backed regime. The move may be a response to Monday's news, when Ukraine's acting finance minister said the government would be seeking short-term loans from Poland and the U.S., and roughly $35 billion in aid from the IMF and EU by 2015.