Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Feb.14 met with Thanos Arvanitis, the chief of the International Monetary Fund's mission in Ukraine, which is winding up its work in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian government and the IMF Resident Representative Office in Ukraine have not yet disclosed the details of the meeting.
It is only known that representing Ukraine at the meeting were Finance Minister Fedir Yaroshenko, First Deputy Labor and Social Policy Minister Vasyl Nadraha, Naftogaz Ukrainy CEO Yevhen Bakulin, Head of the State Tax Service Vitaliy Zakharchenko and Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Ihor Sorkin.
A source familiar with the course of negotiations told Interfax-Ukraine that the participants in the meeting had summed up the results of the work of the mission, which, due to a number of issues that had yet to be agreed, had extended its visit for several days.
The source said that the most controversial topics were the dates for conducting pension reform and increasing the tariffs for natural gas, electricity and hot water supplies. The Ukrainian side insists on the need to shift the previously announced schedule.
The mission is expected to make a statement on the results of its work late on Monday or on Tuesday, although the fund has not issued an official report in this regard.
The IMF mission in Ukraine earlier planned to work in Kyiv from February 1 to February 11. The result of its work should be a decision on the possible allocation of the next tranche of a loan to Ukraine.
