Peace talks are scheduled to resume this week in Minsk as the humanitarian disaster deepens and the outlook for Ukraine's economy darkens. Factories are shutting down, the country's industrial heartlands are under attack and the currency has been in freefall, contributing to a sharp increase in prices.
The IMF last week approved a $1.4bn (£840m) loan to Ukraine, the second tranche of its $17bn bailout programme agreed in April to stave off default.
Ukraine urgently needs IMF loans to support its budget and prop up its faltering currency as its debts come up for repayment. Almost $4bn must be repaid before the end of the year, with $9bn due in 2015. In exchange for IMF aid, Ukraine's government has agreed on sweeping economic reforms, including curbing public-sector wage increases, increasing energy prices to bring them more in line with market values, overhauling banking and currency regulations and tackling chronic graft that has made the country one of the most corrupt in the world.
The IMF praised Ukraine's progress, but said risks to the programme had increased. Since mid-July, the conflict has escalated, while Naftogaz, Ukraine's national gas company, and Gazprom, Russia's state energy group, have been locked in a standoff over the price of gas, which until recently the Russians supplied at a hefty discount. The dispute is likely to further increase Ukraine's debts.
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