Ukraine wants to finish talks with IMF next week

KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian Finance Ministry said on Thursday the government planned to complete talks with the International Monetary Fund about a new loan next week.

The IMF said today earlier that it had shifted its discussions with Ukraine to providing an 18-month Standby Arrangement instead of a more conditional three-year Extended Fund Facility to allow the government more room to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in the near term. [L1N2CP11O]

The size of the program for the respective periods remains unchanged, the ministry said in a statement without further details.

Reporting by Natalia Zinets