Ukraine has reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for the eighth review of its Extended Fund Facility, unlocking a $500 million disbursement, pending IMF Board approval. This takes total IMF support to over $10 billion. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal praised the IMF as a “reliable partner” amid war-time reforms. However, the IMF flagged concerns over weak tax collection, governance issues in state-run firms, and Ukraine’s rising defense budget, which has grown by $9.6 billion.