REUTERS
Significant payments were made to service and repay foreign currency state debt last month.
Ukraine's international reserves as of March 1, 2019, totaled $20.22 billion, which was 2.9% lower than a month earlier.
Since the beginning of the year, the reserves have shrunk to the same extent, given that at the beginning of February, the indicator remained at the level of the year's start, or at a five-year maximum, the National Bank of Ukraine said on its website.
The reserves decreased due to significant payments to service and repay foreign currency state debt, were estimated at $1.285 billion.
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The spending was partially offset by revenue from the placement of government dollar-denominated bonds worth $302.7 million.
In addition, a favorable situation in the foreign exchange market allowed the NBU to replenish reserves by $326.5 million. In addition, the revaluation of financial instruments increased their value by $56.7 million.
It is also reported that as of March 1, the country's international reserves cover 3.3 months of future imports.
UNIAN memo. Ukraine's international reserves in 2018 increased by 10.6%, to $20.820 billion, updating the five-year maximum.