Zelenskyy calls for more co-ordinated funding in IMF meeting

Ukrainian President's address comes days after Russian strikes hit several cities across Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Chairman of Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, holds an application for accelerated accession to Nato. Ukrainian Presidential Press Office / APShow less

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday outlined to members of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank his country’s dire need for financial support.

Mr Zelenskyy, who addressed the annual meeting by video, called on the international community to establish a co-ordinated and aligned front to help meet his country's needs.

“It would be good to create a permanent working group that would provide financial support for Ukraine and work promptly at different levels at the level of international donors and specific countries that take part in assistance,” he said.

Ukraine’s economy has been badly hurt by the Russian invasion, causing a “one-third economic reduction" and a need for $38 billion to meet its budget deficit for 2023, Mr Zelenskyy said.

The besieged country has relied heavily on the international community for financial assistance to provide basic services to its people and pay government salaries.

“We need credit limits to purchase gas and coal for the future heating season," Mr Zelenskyy said.

He gave a list of needs, which includes funds for workers' salaries and to provide basic services, and money set aside to repair the country’s destroyed infrastructure.

“Terror has to lose, Ukraine has to win

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The war in Ukraine is entering a dangerous and rapidly escalating phase.

On Monday, Russian strikes killed at least 11 people in cities across Ukraine and caused power cuts in several locations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes were in retaliation for a weekend attack on the Kerch Bridge that connects Russia to Crimea.

An explosion on the bridge badly damaged a section of the key transit route, affecting road and rail traffic.

Mr Zelenskyy told those in attendance at the IMF discussion that his countrymen's hopes rested on the fund's support.

“At this time when the terrorist state is trying to intimidate us even more, we have to respond to the Russian terror with a stronger and more meaningful collaboration," he said.

“Terror has to lose, Ukraine has to win. That's absolutely real with your support.”

The latest in Ukraine — in pictures

Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP

People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters

A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images

People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters

Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters

Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters

A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA

A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP

An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP

A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP

A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP

Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP

Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images

Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images

Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images

A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images

In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP

Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP

Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP

Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP

Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP

A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP

This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP