KIEV, April 12 - The Ukrainian government formed in March is repeating mistakes of its predecessors by planning a high budget deficit in 2010, according to Viktor Pinzenyk, former finance minister and the head of the Ukrainian Fund For Reforms Support.

"The draft national budget for 2010 gives grounds to say that the present government is continuing to follow the blind path of the previous [government]... The potential size of the budget gap [it's difficult to assess the government's appetites for the sum of expenses and behavior with gas prices] is double compared to the previous year, and will be 20% of GDP," he said.