WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 – The board of the International Monetary Fund has determined that Ukraine's $3 billion debt to Russia has official, not commercial, status.

"On December 16, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund decided that the claim arising from the $3 billion eurobond issued by Ukraine on December 24, 2013 and held by Russia's National Wealth Fund is an official claim for the purposes of the Fund's policy on arrears to official bilateral creditors," the IMF said.