Zelensky on cooperation with IMF: We will definitely do everything we promised

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that further Ukraine's cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is important for economic stability and investment climate.

He said this in a joint interview for Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press, according to the president’s website.

In the context of Ukraine's cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, Zelensky said that it is unfair to make the same demands on Ukraine as on other states. After all, Ukraine has been at war for the eighth year already and has been forced to choose priority areas for reform in a different way.

"I do not think it is possible to compare the IMF's strategy of behavior with Ukraine with other countries. Our country simply cannot be put on a par with others. Because we have a complication, because there is a war. Because money is spent on priorities not in terms of economy, but in terms of security. First the military, first medicine, then everything else,” he explained.

At the same time, Zelensky noted that the continuation of Ukraine’s cooperation with the IMF is important for economic stability and the investment climate, as other financial support programs are tied to the IMF program.

"Therefore, we will definitely do everything we promised," he summarized.

On June 9, 2020, the IMF approved an 18-month Stand-By Arrangement for Ukraine, with total access of about $5 billion. Following the immediate disbursement of the first tranche of about $2.1 billion, four program reviews were projected, and upon their completion, the IMF makes decisions on the allocation of the next tranches.

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