IMF tentatively estimates Ukraine's monthly financing needs at $3 bln-$4 bln, pledges support - Georgieva
MOSCOW. Oct 13 (Interfax) - The year of 2023 is going to be a difficult one for Ukraine, whose state financing needs have tentatively been estimated at $3 billion -$4 billion, including steps to help ensure the country's economic stability, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said, pledging further IMF support and adding that an international forum will be established soon to address this problem.
"Our current thinking is that the financing requirements will be around US$3-US$4 billion per month in 2023," Ukrainian media quoted Georgieva as saying at the Second Roundtable Discussion for Support to Ukraine, which took place on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank on Wednesday.
When responding to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's appeal to establish an economic forum, which would meet regularly and discuss the macroeconomic situation in Ukraine and its financing needs and would address this problem, Georgieva said that this work is already ongoing.
"Discussions on the PMB [Program Monitoring with Board Involvement] will start soon," she said.
The IMF has also developed a new interaction platform, which will carry out monitoring jointly with the IMF Board of Governors, paving the way for a full-fledged program for Ukraine, which has been requested by Zelensky, Georgieva said, adding that we are heading toward a "strong Ukraine".
As reported, Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko said earlier that the government estimated the country's financing needs in 2023 at $3.5 billion a month.
The Roundtable for Ukraine first met on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings on April 21. It was said then that Ukraine's monthly financing needs stood at $5 billion amid the crisis.
Ukraine's 2023 state budget, which has been approved in the first reading, envisages external financing of the deficit at $38 billion, or around $3.2 billion per month.