IMF, WB to hold another ministerial roundtable to discuss support for Ukraine

MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) will hold a second ministerial roundtable discussion on support measures for Ukraine during their autumn meeting in Washington on Wednesday, October 12, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank Group President David Malpass in attendance.

"A ministerial roundtable will take place on Wednesday, October 12th, co-chaired by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, and the IMF to discuss Ukraine's financing needs, priorities for sustaining essential services [...], as well as priority recovery and reconstruction projects that can be quickly initiated," Ukrainian media have reported with reference to a statement available on the World Bank's website.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Prime Minister Denis Shmygal will also take part in the event, it said.

"Economic support from the international community has been instrumental to ensuring continuity of essential services - such as healthcare, education, pensions, and social protection - for the people of Ukraine as well as providing for humanitarian needs," it said.

The first such roundtable conference took place during the IMF and WB meeting on April 21. The IMF managing director said at the time Ukraine needed around $5 billion monthly to finance its state budget deficit amid the crisis.

A Ukrainian draft budget for 2023 passed at the first reading envisions foreign financing in the amount of $38 billion, or about $3.2 billion a month, to cover the country's budget deficit.