REUTERS
The prime minister says Ukraine has no other alternative now rather than further cooperation with the Fund.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said the program of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) can be updated with new requirements from the country's key lender.
"The International Monetary Fund has said they are ready to cooperate with Ukraine. I think the program will be amended by adding serious issues [requirements] that should be fulfilled by Ukraine. I believe that the program we had been implementing was optimal and quite effective, but the [early parliamentary] elections actually stopped us," he told a Ukrainian TV channel on May 31, commenting on the IMF mission's visit to Kyiv on May 21-29.
Read alsoIMF mission to return to Kyiv to continue talks after parliamentary election
At the same time, Groysman says Ukraine has no other alternative now rather than further cooperation with the Fund. "We cannot overcome the challenges we face without support from international organizations, including the IMF. Whether we like it or not, these are the necessary actions," he said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the IMF mission was working in Ukraine to assess the fulfillment of the conditions for disbursing another $1.3 billion under the current Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and to consider the issue to ensure criminal liability for illegal enrichment introduced within the previous program, but canceled by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in February 2019.
Volodymyr Zelensky officially became President of Ukraine on May 20, 2019. During his swearing-in speech, he announced the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, and called on the Ukrainian government to resign.
On the same day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Groysman announced he would resign and his letter of resignation was registered in parliament on May 23.
However, on May 30, the Verkhovna Rada did not back draft resolution No. 10341 on Groysman's resignation.
A presidential decree on the dissolution of Ukraine's parliament entered into force on May 23. The early parliamentary elections are scheduled for July 21.
Following the meeting with IMF representatives in Kyiv, President Zelensky said Ukraine would continue cooperation with the IMF, remaining a reliable partner that is fulfilling its obligations.
UNIAN memo. The IMF Executive Board approved a new 14-month $3.9 billion SBA for Ukraine. Ukraine received the first disbursement worth $1.4 billion under the new program on December 21, 2018.