A resident walks past a tent with heating set up in the courtyard of residential buildings in Kyiv on Jan. 15, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP)
The IMF chief was in Ukraine for the first time since 2023 for high-level meetings, the fund said on Jan. 15, as Kiev awaits approval on key funding nearly four years since Russia's invasion.
International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva was currently in Kiev for a "short visit," during which she was to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top leaders, said the fund's spokeswoman Julie Kozack.
The announcement of the talks comes a day after Zelensky said a "state of emergency" will be declared in the energy sector.
Moscow has hit Ukraine with daily drone and missile barrages in recent months, taking aim at energy infrastructure and cutting power and heating in the frigid winter.
Kozack said at a regular press briefing in Washington that she is "hopeful" for an executive board meeting in February related to new financing for Ukraine.
In November, IMF staff and Ukrainian authorities reached a staff-level deal that could unlock $8.1 billion in new financing as the country continues to reel from war.
But the four-year lending program is contingent upon elements like securing donor financing assurances and enacting a budget, Kozack added on Jan. 15.
Georgieva last visited Ukraine in February 2023 as discussions were ongoing for a previous IMF-supported program. That year, the IMF approved a $15.6 billion loan package for the country.
The IMF estimates Ukraine's financing gap is around $136.5 billion for the period from 2026 to 2029.
