Ukraine expects the speedy resumption of funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as negotiations on the remaining budget issues and gas prices are constructive, Ukraine's Acting Finance Minister Oksana Markarova said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in London on Monday, July 23.

"I think we have a good discussion now. The [law on] Anti-Corruption Court was adopted [...] Also on the budget and on the gas prices, we have very constructive discussions," she said.

Markarova noted that figures on the performance of the state budget for the first half of 2018 were better than those for the first quarter and expressed hope that a positive decision would be achieved soon.

"We are doing everything possible to do it in the quickest possible time," Markarova said.

She also said that Ukraine still plans to enter the eurobond market this year and is closely following it. In particular, she pointed to the recent improvement in market conditions.

Since July 2017, Ukraine has been in a complicated negotiating process with the IMF on the gas issue: the Fund insists on raising the price of gas for households, which, according to various estimates, can range from 30% to 60%, due to rising prices on international markets, while the prime minister sees this sharp increase as unjustified.

A government source said that during this period Ukraine offered the IMF at least eight options of changing the formula for gas prices, based on observance of the principles agreed upon with the Fund in due time: promoting the development of a free gas market and preventing the restoration of corruption schemes on the difference in gas prices, which flourished until 2016.

The Fund's position is quite tough, as the government last year decided to raise gas prices that allowed Ukraine to receive a tranche from the IMF, but subsequently unilaterally refused to implement it.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on June 19, 2018 that the implementation of the precondition for gas prices is critical for the completion of the current revision of the IMF-supported program.

According to her, two other preconditions are the amendment to the law on the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) recently adopted and compliance with the state budget deficit.

On July 12, the Verkhovna Rada made the necessary amendments to the legislation on the HACC.