The Group of Seven (G7) plans to offer key support for Ukraine's effort to access a $15 billion International Monetary Fund program by the end of March as IMF officials have started talks with the U.S., Bloomberg reported on Feb. 22, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has recently discussed the lending program with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. The sides are in daily contact, one of the sources said.
On Feb. 20, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Kyiv expects the IMF to launch a new multi-year program for Ukraine amounting to $15 billion.
"(The program is expected to) consist of two parts: immediate financial support and support for structural reforms that will contribute to (Ukraine's) recovery," Shmyhal said on Telegram.
Georgieva said on Oct. 25 that Ukraine's external financing needs in 2023 would be around $3 billion to $4 billion a month in the best-case scenario but could reach $5 billion as Russia targets the country's critical infrastructure.
