The Ukrainian president said Sunday the International Monetary Fund
will not extend a regular tranche of its loan to Ukraine as the Yulia
Tymoshenko government is not current on its commitments to the IMF.
"I am convinced the IMF will not provide... the tranche to Ukraine as [the government] fully ignores the memorandum," Viktor Yushchenko told Channel 5.
He also said that the Ukrainian government has failed to implement
five out of the six positions of its commitments to the IMF. "It's
evident that it is impossible to keep ignoring the IMF program and
receiving its assistance," Yushchenko said.
One of the conditions for the loan was that Ukraine should gradually
raise gas prices to market ones. However, the government decided not to
raise gas prices for the population in 2009.
The IMF approved a $16.4 billion loan to Ukraine in November 2008.
The financial institution has already provided three tranches worth
$4.5 billion, $2.8 billion and $3.3 billion to the ex-Soviet state as
part of a stabilization loan program provided by the IMF to stabilize
its economy, which had been seriously hurt by the current economic
meltdown.
An IMF mission worked in the country's capital Kiev October 12-24.
It was supposed to establish whether Ukraine implements conditions for
the loan. The final decision on the fourth tranche, due to be provided
by the end of 2009, has not been made yet.
