IMF agrees to ease loan terms to Ukraine for gas payments

The International Monetary Fund said yesterday that it relaxed its end-December floor on Ukraine’s international reserves by about USD 2.0 bln in order to allow it to meet its debts, including gas payments. The IMF said the move was in response to a request by the Ukrainian government to modify its USD 16.5 bln standby agreement. The IMF added that the development did not involve any new disbursement by the IMF to Ukraine.