International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1944 and part of the United Nations system, headquartered in Washington, D.C. It provides financial assistance to member countries and promotes international monetary cooperation and stability.
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UK to speed LMM missile deliveries to Ukraine during Zelensky's London visit
During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to London on 14 October, the British government announced it would accelerate deliveries of Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to Ukraine to counter Russian jet-powered drones, including a £45 million air-defence missile package with £10 million in deliveries expedited ahead of winter. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, cited in Ukrainian coverage as 'Енді Бернем' / 'Andy Burnham', instructed ministers to prepare additional sanctions and military and financial aid packages in coming weeks and said the UK is fully implementing a ban on maritime services for Russian LNG.
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Ukraine's parliament adopts new property valuation law, unblocking $4.2 billion EU tranche
The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a comprehensive law that fully replaces Ukraine's 2001 property valuation framework, aligning it with European and international standards. The reform is one of four decisions required to release a $4.2 billion second tranche of EU macrofinancial assistance under the Ukraine Support Loan program and is linked to Ukraine's IMF Extended Fund Facility obligations.
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Ukraine's finance minister tells Rada country is in liquidity crisis, blames $29.5bn shortfall in partner aid
Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told the Verkhovna Rada on 12 October that Ukraine's state budget has fallen roughly 50 billion hryvnia short of planned revenues over nine months of 2026, with 39 billion hryvnia in payments deferred to year's end and capital expenditures blocked. He attributed the squeeze to a $29.5 billion shortfall in expected partner support tied to delayed reforms under IMF, EU and World Bank programs. Marchenko said military pay and social programs remain fully funded, but the Rada must now pass dozens of reform-related bills to unlock the rest.
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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.
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Ukraine says defence deficit for 2026 is $27 billion, $20 billion in partner talks
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said Ukraine's 2026 defence budget deficit stands at $27 billion. About $7 billion is to be covered through domestic austerity and reallocation, while the remaining $20 billion is being negotiated with international partners. The government is racing to meet commitments by mid-October or risk losing access to $29.5 billion in planned international financing.
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Ukraine asks EU to use frozen Russian assets to cover $78 billion 2027 financing gap
Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told a donor meeting in Brussels on 29 September that Ukraine needs roughly $78 billion (about €69 billion) in additional financing for 2027 and called on the European Union to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to cover the gap. EU officials and several member states received the request skeptically, with Belgium opposed to any new use of the assets and the European Commission insisting that the priority is disbursing the already agreed €90 billion loan, whose budget tranche is held up pending Ukrainian reforms.
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Proposal would shift frozen Russian assets from Euroclear and Clearstream to a new EU custodian
A proposal presented in Brussels by political commentator Hugo Dixon and co-authors would transfer frozen Russian Central Bank accounts from national depositaries — including Euroclear in Belgium and Clearstream in Luxembourg — onto the balance sheet of a special EU instrument acting as custodian. The mechanism, modelled on the post-Saddam transfer of Iraqi Central Bank accounts, is designed to shield depositaries and Belgium from Russian lawsuits while creating legal and financial groundwork for eventually using the assets in Ukraine's interests. Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko has publicly backed revisiting the use of frozen Russian assets, citing an acute wartime budget deficit.
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IMF estimates Ukraine's financing gap at $54 billion through 2029 as donors meet in Brussels
On September 29, Ukraine's donors gathered in Brussels to accelerate talks on further financial assistance, as IMF estimates put Ukraine's financing gap at about $54 billion through 2029. EU member states remain divided on whether to use roughly €210 billion in frozen Russian central-bank assets or issue new common debt, while the European Commission and IMF tie further assistance to Ukraine's implementation of a reform plan.
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Ukraine suspends non-priority spending as PM warns of critical fiscal squeeze
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision on 28 September prioritizing state expenditures toward defense, pensions, social payments and public-sector salaries, while suspending non-critical construction, reconstruction, capital repairs and beautification projects until the end of the war. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said part of the pressure stems from delayed international financing, in part because Ukraine has not fulfilled some of its commitments to international partners. The government has identified about $7 billion through internal optimization against a reported $27 billion Ministry of Defense deficit.
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EU member states agree on how to release €6.6 billion from European Peace Fund for Ukraine
EU member states agreed on conditions for releasing €6.6 billion from the European Peace Fund for Ukraine, ending a freeze imposed since spring 2023 by Hungary's veto. The announcement was made on 25 September by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, who called the deal "good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia." The deal still requires formal adoption by EU defense ministers.
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Ukraine receives $841 million from World Bank under Canadian guarantees for pension payments
Ukraine has received $841 million in financing from the World Bank under guarantees from the Canadian government, with the funds directed to reimbursing state budget pension expenditures. The transfer was raised under the PEACE in Ukraine project, whose total volume has now reached $54.3 billion. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky announced the funding via Telegram and thanked Canada and the World Bank for timely assistance amid a significant budget deficit.
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Zelensky and Trump meet in New York: energy ceasefire, Patriot production and a push to end the war before winter
On September 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. Zelensky proposed a mutual energy ceasefire, raised licensing of Patriot interceptor missile production in Ukraine, and said he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin with Trump's help. Trump said the war will end "sooner than people realize" and warned he is ready to use the newly-signed "Graham law" sanctions against Russia.
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Zelensky tells IMF's Georgieva in New York that Fund will help Ukraine secure part of 2027 financing
President Volodymyr Zelensky met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on September 22, and said the IMF will help Ukraine find part of the funds needed for its financial stability in 2027. Zelensky told Georgieva that the Verkhovna Rada had already passed some of the legislation required by partners and that the remaining laws would be adopted by year's end.
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Zelensky orders return of asset declarations for rear-echelon security officials, signs call-center fraud law
On 16 September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the preparation of a decision to reinstate mandatory asset declarations for law enforcement officers and Security Forces members who are not at war, in a scope sufficient to monitor their property and lifestyle. In the same address he signed a law introducing criminal liability for fraudulent call centers and ordered a vetting of all heads of central executive bodies, citing high corruption risks at the tax service, ARMA, and various inspectorates.
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Ukraine's government submits 2027 draft budget to parliament: defense at 44% of GDP, $52.6 billion external financing required
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and submitted the draft State Budget for 2027 to the Verkhovna Rada on September 15, 2026. The bill, registered as No. 16000, allocates 4 trillion 885 billion hryvnias (about 43.8–44% of GDP) to defense and security, projects total expenditures of 7 trillion 272 billion hryvnias, and identifies an external financing requirement of $52.6 billion, of which only $20 billion has been confirmed by partners.
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Ukraine risks losing part of $29.5 billion in foreign financing without parliamentary votes, PM Koretsky warns
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky warned that Ukraine risks losing a significant portion of an anticipated $29.5 billion in international financing if the Verkhovna Rada delays the required legislation, and said the government will send parliament a schedule with clear deadlines for each vote. He described the country's state finances as close to critical and said the government plans to complete its own share of 42 commitments by October 15, having accelerated the timeline from the previously announced November 1 deadline.
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Ukraine plans $2–3 billion war-risk insurance fund for businesses, partly funded by VAT hike
Ukraine's Minister of Economy Oleksandr Kravchenko announced plans for a $2–3 billion insurance fund to compensate businesses for losses from Russian attacks, with payouts targeted to begin on January 1, 2027. The government proposes funding part of the fund by raising VAT from 20% to 21%, a politically sensitive move that has not yet been finalized.
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Ukraine's government submits three more draft laws to parliament tied to international financing
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and sent to the Verkhovna Rada three draft laws needed to attract international financing and cover the state budget deficit. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky described the deficit situation as serious and called on lawmakers, regardless of political affiliation, to vote on the package as quickly as possible.
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Ukraine's 2027 budget has $32.6 billion uncovered financing need, finance minister says
Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the country's 2027 budget faces an uncovered financing need of $32.6 billion — the tightest budget situation since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. He called on European partners to seek additional sources of financing and presented a new proposal to redistribute roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian assets across all 27 EU member states.
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Ukraine's government submits four draft laws tied to €1.45 billion EU tranche
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved and sent to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, four draft laws that are conditions for receiving the third €1.45 billion tranche of EU macro-financial assistance and are tied to broader obligations to the EU and IMF. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky announced the move, framing it as necessary for unlocking a significant portion of the $29.5 billion in expected partner assistance.