Ukraine has to settle the issue of financial assistance with the IMF, but the European Union is ready to help Kyiv fulfill the necessary conditions to achieve agreement with the fund, the European Commission's spokesman Peter Stano has said.

"European Commissioner Stefan Fule has repeatedly stressed that the signing of the Association Agreement will bring many benefits to both sides - the EU and Ukraine. And it will also fulfill part of the necessary conditions for the raising by Ukraine of a loan from the IMF," Stano said referring to European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule at a press briefing in Brussels on Friday.

At the same time, he said that the assistance will be provided based on clear-cut commitments. The EU will continue to follow the road map for the implementation of the Association Agreement, and will continue to support Kyiv's efforts to meet the conditions for continuing cooperation with the IMF.

Stano also quoted a statement made by Fule on Thursday at a joint briefing with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov in Brussels. In particular, he said that the sooner Ukraine clarifies its intentions, the sooner they will be able to make progress in their joint work.

He chose not to answer a question of when the EU might join the talks between the IMF in Kyiv, reiterating that the EU was ready to assist Ukraine in this regard.