Ukraine expects to receive $1.1 bln from IMF in late Dec

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal has met with a mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"We successfully completed the fifth review of the [Extended Fund Facility] EFF program at the end of October. We have fulfilled all structural benchmarks for the sixth review. We expect to receive the next tranche of $1.1 billion at the end of December based on the outcomes of this mission," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Shmygal as saying on social media after the meeting.

At the meeting, the parties discussed the further implementation of reforms under the memorandum of cooperation with the IMF and Ukraine's progress, which has been highly assessed by the IMF, he said. Macroeconomic issues and Ukraine's external financing needs were also touched upon.

"The government has prepared the draft state budget for the second reading. We understand how we will finance key expenditures. There is reliable support from the IMF, the World Bank, the U.S. and the EU through the Ukraine Facility program, as well as financing through the ERA instrument," Shmygal said.