
Ukraine is still in critical need of external financing, officials said on Thursday, issuing a new appeal for the EU to approve a loan backed by frozen Russian funds, after Kiev secured preliminary approval for billions of dollars from the IMF.
On Wednesday, Kiev secured a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a new four-year, $8.2 billion program to help Ukraine maintain macroeconomic and financial stability during the war with Russia. The loan must be approved by the fund's board, provided that Ukraine meets conditions.
Despite possible financing from the IMF, "the need for timely and large-scale external financing on concessional and grant-like terms remains critical," Ukraine's finance ministry said in a statement.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on Kiev's EU partners to adopt a decision to use frozen Russian assets to support 140 billion euros in loans to Ukraine.
"It is important for us to get a positive result regarding the reparations loan, that is, the actual use of frozen Russian assets," Sybiha told reporters, adding that it was also vital to develop a program to purchase American weapons for Ukraine with European money.