The International Monetary Fund on Thursday said its board would review a staff-level agreement for a new $8.1 billion lending program for Ukraine in coming days.
IMF spokeswoman Jule Kozack told reporters that Ukrainian authorities had completed the prior actions needed to move forward with the request of a new IMF program, including submission of a draft law on the labor code and adoption of a budget.
She said Ukraine's economic growth in 2025 was likely under 2%. After four years of war, the country's economy had settled into a slower growth path with larger fiscal and current account balances, she said, noting that the IMF continues to monitor the situation closely.
"Russia's invasion continues to take a heavy toll on Ukraine's people and its economy," Kozack said. Intensified aerial attacks by Russia had damaged critical energy and logistics infrastructure, causing disruptions to economic activity, Reuters quoted her as saying.
As of January, she said, 5 million Ukrainian refugees remained in Europe and 3.7 million Ukrainians were displaced inside the country.
