Another item from our news desk:
EU Formally Extends Russia Sanctions Linked To Aggression Toward Ukraine
The European Union formally approved an extension of sanctions against 170 Russian officials and Russian-backed Ukrainian separatists as well as 44 entities for another six months until March 15, the EU headquarters in Brussels said in a statement on September 11 as reported by AP.
EU ambassadors on September 4 agreed to extend the measures, which include visa bans and asset freezes, and bans on doing business in Crimea.
The sanctions list was established after Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and has grown over the following years as Moscow has continued to back separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.
People on the sanctions list include the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, and state TV presenter Dmitry Kiselyov. The entity list is dominated by Russia-backed battalions operating in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the Crimean Peninsula, as well as companies from Crimea.
Some measures could be eased or lifted, the EU has said, if Russia were to adhere to the so-called Minsk agreement that outlines a roadmap for achieving peace in Ukraine’s Donbas conflict.
Based on reporting by Rikard Jozwiak and AP
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item that our news desk filed overnight:
IMF: Combating Graft Key Element For Any New Ukraine Loan
WASHINGTON -- Fighting corruption will be a key component of any new lending program Ukraine gets with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gerry Rice, IMF communications director, said in a September 12 briefing in Washington.
Before his appointment last month, Ukraine's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said in July that Ukraine wanted to replace its current $3.9 billion standby arrangement with the IMF, which expires at the end of the year, and replace it with a longer-term program.
Rice said an IMF team is in Kyiv and is currently taking "stock of the new government's policy intentions" during its stay, which will conclude around September 26.
One "important element of the discussions," Rice said, is the "importance of creating an effective anti-corruption framework," which has been a "critical element of our engagement with Ukraine for the last few years."
Ukraine ranks 120th out of 180 countries on the Transparency International watchdog's perceived corruption index.
In recent years, Kyiv has adopted new anti-graft laws and agencies have been established, including the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
According to polls, corruption is the second-most important issue for Ukrainians after the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
In previous announcements, Honcharuk said he wants a staff-level agreement for up to four years to go into effect by the end of the year.Under the current program, Ukraine has tapped $1.4 billion.
The IMF projects Ukraine's economy will grow by 2.7 percent this year, whereas Honcharuk said he is targeting 5 percent annual growth.
According to the Washington-based lender, inflation is projected to reach 8 percent this year.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.