KIEV, Sept. 22 - IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday pressed Ukraine's hold-out creditors such as Russia and a handful of Western investment houses to write off some of the crisis-wrecked country's massive debt, AFP reported.

Lagarde's intervention came as an International Monetary Fund mission arrived in Kiev to assess Ukraine's commitment to economic restructuring and belt-tightening measures that would unlock money that could help the cash-starved government stay float.