KYIV, Dec 20 – The International Monetary Fund’s Executive Board, following the discussion of Program Monitoring with Board involvement (PMB) for Ukraine, said this four-month program is designed to help the country maintain financial stability and catalyze donor financing amid very large balance of payment needs and “exceptionally” high risks.

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 - President Volodymyr Zelensky is preparing to visit Washington on Wednesday, according to three AP sources, in his first known trip outside the country since Russia’s invasion began in February.

KYIV, Dec 20 – Ukraine may receive $55-60 billion in macro-financial assistance, rapid recovery, private sector support and humanitarian assistance in 2023, Roman Kachur, Alternate Executive Director for Ukraine at the World Bank, shared these World Bank estimates.

KYIV, Dec 21 – The Program Monitoring with Board involvement (PMB) for Ukraine (PMB), finally approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on December 19, if successfully passed next March, may be replaced by an extended program with funding, IMF Alternate Executive Director Vladyslav Rashkovan has said.

KYIV, Dec 21 – The World Bank has approved a new financing package totaling $610 million to address urgent needs in Ukraine: $500 million under the Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance (PEACE) Project and $110 million under the Health Enhancement and Life-saving (HEAL Ukraine) Project.

KYIV, Dec 21 – Ukraine has received the first tranche under the new Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the amount of SDR 1 billion (around $1.4 billion), which boosted the country's forex reserves to $20.1 billion as of December 21, 2018.

KYIV, Dec 21 – Ukraine's state budget for 2019 provides over UAH 102 billion to the Defense Ministry, which will make it possible to purchase the latest types of weapons, ammunition and military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko has said.

KYIV, Dec 21 – The share of the shadow economy in Ukraine in the second quarter of 2018 fell by 1 percentage points (p.p.) compared with the previous quarter, and year-over-year the decline was 3 p.p., according to a report of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine on the shadow economy in the country published on Friday.

KYIV, Dec 21 - Ukraine's new IMF program mitigates near-term financing risks and will support improvements in macroeconomic and financial stability, but program compliance and retaining bond market access will be important in meeting external sovereign funding needs beyond 2019, Fitch Ratings reported.

MOSCOW, Dec 25 - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has expanded Russia's targeted sanctions against Ukrainian individuals and legal entities, RFE/RL reported.