Ukraine expects another $4.5 bn from IMF this year

Ukraine expects another USD 4.5 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the end of the year, the National Bank said today a day after the fund granted USD 1 billion for the cash-strapped country.
"According to our forecasts we expect the receipt of approximately USD 4.5 billion -- these are three tranches from the IMF -- by the end of this year," the National Bank's deputy head, Oleg Churiy, told journalists.
Just a day before, the IMF had announced the release of the USD 1 billion loan payment to Ukraine, which had been postponed following the trade blockade imposed by Kiev on the Russia-backed separatist eastern regions of the country.

Ukraine's pro-western leadership has been desperately waiting for the next instalment of a USD 17.5-billion rescue programme that has been held up repeatedly since it was agreed in 2015 over delays by Kiev to carry out reforms.
The World Bank released a fresh forecast today, projecting Ukraine's economic growth at two percent for 2017.
"There are significant headwinds from the weak global economy and the conflict in the east of Ukraine," said World Bank economist Faruk Khan.
"The coal and trade blockade in the uncontrolled areas of the east of Ukraine are expected to primarily impact two key sectors -- steel production and electricity generation," the expert told a presentation in Kiev.

"As a result, our projection of economic growth for 2017 remains modest.