On September 22, a US source familiar with the matter revealed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had persuaded the Ukrainian government to accept the $65 billion foreign-funded figure by 2027, much higher than the $38 billion that Kiev had previously given.
These are the results of negotiations between the IMF and Ukraine throughout the first half of September. This figure even exceeds the amount the IMF calculated in the middle of the month, when they predicted that Ukraine needed about 47.5 - 57.5 billion USD.
The European Commission has also been consulted on further assistance, the source said.
The IMF plans to provide a new loan worth about $8 billion to Ukraine, but the terms and timing of disbursement are unknown.
Last week, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said that Kiev is looking for a new four-year loan program from the IMF, in hopes of supporting an exhausted economy after more than three years of conflict with Russia.
The IMF has previously lent Ukraine $15.5 billion from 2023 to pay for pensions, civil servants' salaries, essential services and humanitarian needs, in the context that 60% of Kiev's budget is spent on defense.
To date, Ukraine has received about 10.6 billion USD from the above loan package, which has a disbursement deadline of 2027 - a hypothetical time frame for the possibility of ending the conflict.
Observers say that Kiev's agreement with the $65 billion offered by the IMF is no different from recognizing the increasingly serious budget deficit, contrary to previous optimistic statements.
The move also leaves Ukraine vulnerable to debt spiral and being labeled as a "demand", continuing to signal support to the EC and its European allies - which have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on US arms for Kiev.
Notably, while President Volodymyr Zelensky has affirmed his desire to end the tensions, the current financial steps reflect preparations for a prolonged conflict.
