EU Urges Ukraine To Work 'Constructively' With IMF To Unlock Brussels Aid

The European Union’s top diplomat said on September 22 that Kyiv needs to work “constructively” with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure EU aid to cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Threats to the independence of law enforcement bodies and the central bank have hobbled a $5 billion IMF deal since it was signed in June and raised red flags with Kyiv's main Western backers about progress on reforms.

"We also stand ready to provide 1.2 billion [euros] in macrofinancial assistance to help to limit the economic fallout that the coronavirus has created," visiting EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

"And Ukraine needs to constructively engage also with the International Monetary Fund and also the attached conditions about the rule of law of this help."

There has also been criticism of the process to select a new anti-corruption prosecutor, prompting a member of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee to say Ukraine's visa-free access to EU countries was under threat.

Borrell said the EU had concluded at its latest review in July that Ukraine continued to meet the conditions for that program to remain in place.

But he added the problems associated with picking a new anti-corruption prosecutor highlighted the need for ensuring "the independence, effectiveness, and sustainability of the anti-corruption institutional framework and avoid politicization of the work of all law enforcement agencies.”

Based on reporting by Reuters and UNIAN