Finance minister elaborates on IMF's position on 2021 budget draft

Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not yet made any statements regarding the draft national budget for 2021.

"The IMF has made no statements of support, but we are cooperating with them and discussing the budget-related benchmarks, revenue and spending. To date, there are no categorical statements [by the IMF] that the figures are groundless, or vice versa," he said when presenting the 2021 budget draft at the Verkhovna Rada on September 18.

Read alsoHealthcare spending to grow unprecedentedly in 2021 – finance minister

Key indicators of the 2021 national budget

• GDP growth projected at 4.6%;
• Average annual forex rate of the hryvnia set at UAH 29.1 per U.S. dollar;
• Revenue at almost UAH 1.1 trillion (US$39.1 billion);
• Spending at UAH 1.35 trillion (US$46.2 billion); and
• Budget deficit at UAH 270 billion (US$9.6 billion).

State budget for 2021: Background

• On September 18, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers presented the 2021 national budget draft at the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.

• On September 14, 2020, Ukraine's Finance Ministry forwarded the national budget draft for 2021 to the government for consideration.

• On the same day, the Cabinet of Ministers endorsed the 2021 national budget draft and tabled it in parliament.