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.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Fra...
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's f...
Since 2021, only 9 per cent of $8 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan can be traced beyond initial recipients in public re...
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on developing a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant following talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Saturday.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India raised concerns over export restrictions and economic coercion at a Quad meeting in Atlanta, U.S., on Saturday, 31 October 2026, according to their joint statement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment