KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday that she discussed a new four-year lending program for the country with the International Monetary Fund's chief, Kristalina
Ukraine Explores New Four-Year Lending Agreement with IMF Chief
Ukraine's Economic Strategy and IMF Collaboration
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday that she discussed a new four-year lending program for the country with the International Monetary Fund's chief, Kristalina Georgieva.
Current IMF Program Overview
Ukraine has a four-year $15.5 billion program with the Fund, one of the country's key lenders, and the government has already received $10.6 billion.
Budget Deficit and Economic Challenges
"It is important for us that the next program seamlessly continue the previous one," Svyrydenko, who is visiting the United States, said in a post on X. "We agreed to arrange a new visit from a negotiating team soon, as our government continues implementing the necessary reforms."
Draft 2026 Budget Plans
Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi said that the main parameters of the program were discussed during the meeting but he gave no specifics.
Projected Deficit Figures
For Ukraine, cooperation with the IMF remains an anchor for its economic policy as the war against Russia drags into its fourth year and the country faces a challenging task to raise money to cover the budget gap next year.
The government has prepared a draft 2026 budget, aiming for a deficit of about 18.4% of gross domestic product. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko estimated the unfunded gap for the 2026 budget at about $18 billion.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Olena Harmash; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
