Ukraine's PM meets IMF's Szczurek ahead of November mission to discuss 2026 budget and 2027 financing needs
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky met with the Director of the International Monetary Fund's European Department, Mateusz Szczurek, to discuss execution of Ukraine's 2026 state budget and financing needs for 2027. The talks took place at the start of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings week, with an IMF mission to Ukraine expected in November.
Key points
- Ukrainian PM Serhiy Koretsky met IMF European Department Director Mateusz Szczurek ahead of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings week.
- The meeting covered execution of the 2026 state budget and Ukraine's financing needs for 2027.
- Russian attacks on Ukrainian businesses were discussed as a risk factor for shortfalls in tax revenues.
- Ukraine is working to attract external financing from the EU, bilateral non-EU partners, and World Bank programs.
- The government and the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, are working to pass bills critical to the IMF program and timely EU financing during the current plenary week.
- An IMF mission to Ukraine is expected in November.
- In the first nine months of 2026, the state budget missed 50 billion UAH of planned revenues, including 32 billion UAH in August–September; Ukraine has not received 29.5 billion US dollars of partner budget support due to unmet commitments.
Why it matters
The meeting connects Ukraine's near-term fiscal pressures — including a 50 billion UAH revenue shortfall in the first nine months of 2026 and 29.5 billion US dollars of uncollected partner budget support — directly to the next IMF mission in November and to the legislative calendar in the Verkhovna Rada. It highlights three levers Kyiv is trying to coordinate at once: an IMF program, timely EU financing, and bilateral support from non-EU partners, with the adoption of several key bills during the current plenary week serving as a precondition for both.
What happened
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky met with Mateusz Szczurek, Director of the International Monetary Fund's European Department, at the start of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings week. Their talks covered execution of the state budget in 2026 and Ukraine's budget needs for 2027, with Russian attacks on Ukrainian businesses identified as a risk to tax revenues. Koretsky said Ukraine is working to secure external financing from the European Union, bilateral assistance from non-EU countries, and World Bank programs, and that the government is working with the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, to adopt laws critical to the IMF program and timely EU financing during the current plenary week. An IMF mission to Ukraine is expected in November. Koretsky reported the meeting on his Telegram channel.
Background
In the first nine months of 2026, Ukraine's state budget missed 50 billion UAH of planned revenues, 32 billion UAH of which was lost in August and September. Ukraine has not yet received 29.5 billion US dollars of budget support from partners because of unmet commitments. The meeting took place at the start of the week of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings.