Canada to allot about $1.8 bln for economic assistance to Kiev

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW. Dec 29 (Interfax) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday it had been decided to allot about 2.5 billion Canadian dollars ($1.8 billion) for additional economic assistance to Ukraine, CBC said.

Carney made the announcement at a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Halifax.

That will allow Kiev to get financing from the International Monetary Fund, he said.

He said "a crucial point" had come in the crisis settlement process and "conditions for a just and lasting peace" might have been created.

The additional support declared by Canada includes government guarantees for international financial institutions and a delay in Ukrainian debt payments.

The structure of Canadian obligations was presented in a statement published on the Canadian prime minister's website on Saturday, Ukrainian media said.

The measures include:

"Financing that will enable the International Monetary Fund to lend Ukraine an additional $8.4 billion as part of an extended financing program,

Canada's participation in extended and expanded debt service suspension for Ukraine, for up to $1.5 billion in 2025-26,

A loan guarantee of up to $1.3 billion in 2026 to the World Bank's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support Ukraine's reconstruction, and

A loan guarantee of up to $322 million in 2026 to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support Ukraine's gas imports and reinforce its energy security," the statement said.

Canada is among the largest contributors to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction, providing nearly $22 billion in multifaceted assistance for Ukraine and over $12 billion in direct financial support since the beginning of the crisis, it said.