Zelensky: Ukraine agrees with IMF on potential increase in assistance

"We hold talks with the IMF every day. We have agreed to increase assistance. I talk daily with the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD and some countries' leaders. At present, we can get an increase in the IMF program of up to $8 billion at least. If we get assistance of the World Bank and the EBRD, we can at least get $10 billion," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said after the Servant of the People party faction meeting on Friday evening, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to him, the current IMF conditions are the adoption of the laws on banks and the land market.

"The Parliament will convene on Monday. We have to go through all these issues as much as we can. No one wants default in the country. I am sure that MPs will hear me and this will not happen, and there will be support from international institutions, including the IMF. If we fulfill these conditions, we will receive the first quick tranche of $1.75-2 billion immediately in the budget of Ukraine in the next 15 days," Zelensky said.

At the same time, he did not specify on how the Verkhovna Rada would consider the land market bill: whether it would consider the rest of amendments or not.

"My initiative and the initiative of the Servant of the People party faction is the following: we have already agreed that we will not sell state land now; we have reduced the concentration for individuals to 100 hectares, and for legal entities – this will be the second stage from 2024 – to 10,000 hectares," the President noted.

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