Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund have reached a staff-level agreement on a new lending program. The program is worth $8.2 billion.
Points of attention
- Ukraine and the IMF have reached a staff-level agreement on a new 4-year lending program amounting to $8.2 billion.
- The program is designed to support macroeconomic stability, fight corruption, improve governance, and restore debt sustainability in Ukraine.
- Ukraine commits to adopting the 2026 budget within the framework of the new IMF program, implementing tax and customs reforms, and enhancing financial planning and public sector management.
Ukraine and the IMF agreed on a new 4-year program
The IMF noted that the new 4-year program still needs to be approved by the fund's Executive Board. This could happen after Ukraine fulfills the preconditions, as well as if there are sufficient financing guarantees from donors.
The agreement covers fiscal and monetary measures to support macroeconomic stability, restore debt sustainability, fight corruption, and improve governance.
The Ukrainian authorities are expected to:
will accelerate the fight against tax evasion,
will broaden the tax base, including taxation of income from digital platforms, eliminating customs loopholes, and abolishing VAT exemptions.
Also, the most important event is the adoption of the 2026 budget in accordance with the framework of the new program.
During negotiations between Ukrainian officials and the IMF mission, reforms of the tax and customs services were agreed upon, including the appointment of a new customs chief and the creation of IT infrastructure to improve efficiency, restore confidence, and prepare for recovery.
The Ukrainian authorities also commit to reforming financial planning, reporting, and auditing of state-owned enterprises and banks.
The Prime Minister noted that the week of active work of the IMF mission led by Gavin Gray ended with a good result — the agreement on a new program for $8.2 billion.
This program will help finance critical expenditures, maintain macro-financial stability, and attract additional external support, which is critically important for us in the years ahead.
Yulia Svyrydenko
Prime Minister of Ukraine
She clarified that the 2026 budget has already been prepared in accordance with the framework of the new IMF program. The government expects that the people's deputies will support the initiative.
The Prime Minister also assured that Ukraine is ready to continue implementing measures to combat the shadow economy, combat corruption, and strengthen governance in the public sector. In particular, the reboot of governance in state-owned enterprises and the competition for the head of customs are underway.
