Ukraine makes official request for new IMF programme, PM says

KYIV, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine has requested a new financing programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the war with Russia drags on, keeping military spending high, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Ukraine is spending about 60% of its total budget to fund the war effort and relies heavily on financial support from its Western allies to cover the cost of pensions, public sector wages and humanitarian spending.

"Active hostilities continue, and our draft state budget for 2026 has been prepared with the understanding that the war is far from over," Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X.

She said she had submitted an official letter requesting the new loan programme from IMF during a meeting in Kyiv with Gavin Gray, the head of the Fund's monitoring mission to Ukraine.

The teams will continue talks over the programme in the coming months, Svyrydenko said, "with the goal of securing a positive decision from the IMF Board of Directors by the end of this year".

She did not say how much money the government would seek under the new programme.

Ukraine has received about $10.6 billion under its existing $15.6 billion Extended Fund Facility programme, according to the Finance Ministry.