IMF Chief Lagarde May Visit Kiev in Spring 2016

The IMF chief accepted Kiev's invitation to visit Ukraine next spring.

KIEV (Sputnik) — International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde may pay another visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev next spring to assess the progress being made in implementing reforms in the country, the press service of the Ukrainian parliament said Monday.

"Christine Lagarde has accepted [Ukrainian Parliament Speaker] Volodymyr Groysman's invitation to visit Kiev in spring of next year in order to assess the progress in the implementation of reforms," the press service of Verkhovna Rada said.

Lagarde is currently on a visit to the Ukrainian capital. On Sunday, she met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss the implementation of economic reforms in the country. During her visit, Lagarde called on the Ukrainian government to deepen its structural reforms intended to rebuild the country’s ailing economy.

Ukraine's economy has deteriorated since an armed conflict between government forces and Donbass self-defense forces escalated in April 2014.

Currently, Ukraine increasingly relies on external funding to reanimate its economy amid a deep recession and high inflation.

Earlier this year, the IMF approved a four-year $17.5-billion assistance package to Ukraine to revive the country's economy and encourage a series of corresponding reforms. Kiev has already received two tranches under the financial aid program.

In late August, Kiev and its international creditors agreed to write off 20 percent of Ukraine's foreign debt.