The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed concern about Ukraine's ability to continue receiving $8.1 billion in loan disbursements, as Ukrainian lawmakers have stalled on taking the necessary steps to release the funding. This was stated by the IMF's Resident Representative in Kyiv, Priscilla Tovano. The Ukrainian parliament has a deadline until the end of March to pass a series of legislative amendments that would raise taxes on corporations and households under the latest four-year loan program, approved last month. However, deputies have not yet discussed many of the changes requested by the IMF, challenging President Volodymyr Zelensky and potentially paralyzing the parliament. The measures face widespread public opposition in the fifth year of the Russo-Ukrainian war, but they must be adopted to release the remaining funding. Kyiv has already received $1.5 billion from the latest lending program. Bloomberg, citing Tovano, quoted her as saying: "I can say that I am concerned." IMF staff, led by mission chief Gavin Gray, will meet with Ukrainian lawmakers starting Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter who declined to be named. The Washington-based IMF is Ukraine's second-largest lender. These latest tensions come as Ukraine faces the threat of running out of money within months, after Hungary and Slovakia vetoed a 90 billion euro ($104 billion) EU loan package over a dispute on Russian oil supplies. In the worst-case scenario, if funds are not provided, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) may have to directly lend to the Ministry of Finance to help cover the gap, as it did in the first year of the war, NBU Governor Andriy Pyshny told Bloomberg in an interview last week. Zelensky said last Saturday that he "is ready to discuss with deputies amendments to the general mobilization law so that they can be sent to the front," threatening them with forced conscription. The president added to journalists, threatening deputies: "If you do not serve the state in parliament, then serve on the front line." This dispute is the clearest sign yet that the president can no longer take his parliamentary majority for granted. Ukrainian deputies, including opposition representatives, have largely supported the government since the beginning of the war, but this situation may change. Zelensky said: "Unfortunately, opposition members do not add their votes to approve many important bills... even in urgent laws, it is always necessary to negotiate with opposition forces for a long time and convince them." The president also noted that many deputies are planning to resign, without going into details. The proposed amendments include one that imposes value-added tax on households and companies registered under a simplified tax system, and another request related to lowering the minimum threshold for taxing foreign parcels.
