Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held talks on Thursday to prepare a new programme providing expanded financing for 2026–2029, aimed at supporting the country’s economy and reconstruction efforts amid ongoing Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he met with IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva, who arrived in Kyiv for her first visit since 2023.
“We appreciate the IMF’s readiness to continue supporting Ukraine and to make efforts toward the implementation of the new financing programme,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, thanking Georgieva for the Fund’s continued assistance.
He highlighted the impact of Russian strikes and severe winter weather on Ukraine’s energy and residential infrastructure, noting that the new IMF programme would help strengthen the country’s economic resilience.
A statement from Ukraine’s Presidential Office said the proposed financing would support macro-financial stability, fund critical defence and social needs, and assist in rebuilding Ukraine after nearly four years of war.
Georgieva reportedly assured Ukrainian officials that the IMF would continue efforts to finalise and implement the programme, which has been in development since autumn 2025.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko welcomed Georgieva to Kyiv, where they visited a major energy facility damaged by Russian strikes. She praised the IMF chief’s “personal engagement in supporting Ukraine during this challenging time.”
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine is not an obstacle to peace, pushing back against comments made a day earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump who blamed him for the peace deal stall.
"We also talked about diplomatic work with America – Ukraine has never been and will never be an obstacle to peace," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address, referring to a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump, interviewed by Reuters on Wednesday, said he believed Ukraine was less ready than Russia to clinch a deal. Asked why U.S.-led negotiations had not yet resolved the nearly four-year-old war, Trump responded: "Zelenskyy."
In his comments, Zelenskyy said Russia's continued attacks on Ukrainian energy sites and other targets demonstrated that Moscow did not want peace.
"It is precisely Russian missiles, Russian 'Shaheds,' (drones) and Russia's attempt to destroy Ukraine that are clear evidence that Russia is not interested in agreements at all," he said.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia agreed with Trump that Zelenskyy was holding up a deal, saying President Vladimir Putin and the Russian side remain open to talks.
Zelenskyy pledged that Ukraine would pursue diplomatic efforts more actively.
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One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
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The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine is ready to respect the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, but only if Russia does the same, saying Moscow has already violated the agreement.
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