Ukraine could compete with Poland if it had begun to implement the reforms being conducted by the Government today 10 years ago. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk told this in an interview to Channel 5 on Sunday.

"If we had started to do all that we are doing today 10 years ago, after the Orange Revolution, we would now compete with Poland in order to find out who is stronger. We have lost 10 years," he said.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk emphasized that the Cabinet of Ministers is taking steps that were not made over the last 23 years.

"I understand the political consequences of these reforms. First of all, for myself and for some members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. But you cannot waste time on these political implications, because they are to happen today or tomorrow. You have to think about what will happen within a year, five, ten years," he stressed.

The Prime Minister underlined that, on the eve of local elections, some political forces began a campaign aimed at discrediting the Government. "These so-called lovers of the Ukrainian people, to have 5 or 10 more deputies in a district council, will begin to rock the boat," he said.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that he would not allow anyone to make the Government lose the way of reforms. "I will fend off every idle talker, including within the coalition, from leading us astray," he underlined.

At the same time Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted positive feedback from international partners about reforms in Ukraine, including those expressed during Prime Minister's visit to Washington.

In particular, the US Treasury, International Monetary Fund, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development extended a number of statements with positive measures of the reforms conducted by the Government of Ukraine, and stressed that the country was moving in the right direction.

"When I read the statement made by President of the EBRD Suma Chakrabarti, I was just pleased for our country. I do remember no such statements of the top world economic and political elite towards Ukraine in the last 23 years. There were no such statements. There were no such statements even in 2004," Arseniy Yatsenyuk summed up.