Pledges financial support for Ukraine under IMF aid programme

Portugal’s prime minister António Costa has accepted the invitation of his Ukrainian counterpart to visit Ukraine.

The invitation came during Mr Costa’s video conference with Ukrainian PM Denys Shmygal, during which he pledged financial support for the country under the IMF aid programme.

For now, no date has been set, but the visit will certainly include a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mr Costa has told reporters.

He said of the meeting: “We had the opportunity to discuss and work on strengthening support in the coming weeks to meet Ukraine’s immediate needs, both in military and financial terms”.

The two men also analysed “the effort” that the European Union and the United States could undertake to ensure Ukraine can export goods it produces and which “the world needs, from fertilisers to cereals”.

As Mr Costa explained: “A logistical operation is needed to break the blockade resulting from Russia’s occupation and attacks on Ukraine’s ports.” 

Source: Lusa