"No pause, but there are several problems," Zelenskyi explained the delay with the IMF tranche
Ukraine may receive the next tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in late 2020 or early 2021, analysts predict. But the IMF has questions about the work of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies.
Oleh Ustenko, an economic adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, commented on the situation on the Ukraine 24 channel.
"There's no pause in cooperation. All negotiations with the IMF are underway, and the Minister of Finance is in constant contact, so as the Head of the National Bank, and the Prime Minister. We have a constant work process. We can't make everything public in terms of negotiations. But we can definitely say that we're not on pause.
We have not yet received the tranche because there are several technical issues that we need to address, including those related to the state budget for next year. Therefore, we pay a lot of attention to the budget and adjustments being made," he said.
Also, according to the economist, there are other reasons Ukraine cannot receive the tranche faster.
"As for the rest of the agenda, it has no direct economic meaning, but changes to Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies affect the possibility of quickly receiving a mission from the IMF, and then the tranche," he said.
According to Ustenko, receiving money from the IMF takes longer than previously expected, but it remains the most acceptable option for Ukraine.
"There is a question related to financing the budget deficit for the current year. We need to get money somewhere. The IMF's alternative is to enter foreign markets and borrow expensively. I hope it's not an alternative for our Ministry of Finance. Minister Marchenko is for getting a mission as soon as possible and then a tranche from the IMF," he said.
