Group of Seven nations plan to offer key support for Ukraine’s effort to access International Monetary Fund financing by the end of March as IMF officials have begun talks with the U.S., people familiar with the matter said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has discussed a lending program with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in recent days, with Treasury and IMF teams in daily contact, one of the people said. The Washington-based lender and Ukraine have been exploring a multi-year aid package worth as much as $16 billion to help cover the war-battered country’s needs and provide a catalyst for additional international funding.
G-7 governments — the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan — are expected this week to formally task their officials with stepping up engagement with the IMF and Ukraine to deliver an ambitious program, the people said. The G7 endorsement is one of several IMF conditions for finalizing an agreement.
