KIEV, Feb. 26 - Ukraine had a current account surplus of $500 million in January, tentative figures show, the acting head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Anatoly Shapovalov said at a briefing on Wednesday.

He said the first current account surplus in recent years was due to a steeper decline in imports than in exports.

However, the overall balance of payments is in deficit due to the outflow of capital, as repayment of loans exceeds the amount of funds raised, Shapovalov said.