U.S. ready to provide economic assistance to Ukraine – White House

16:19, 15.01.2015 1 min read

The U.S. government will support Ukraine in combating the serious economic problems in the country, Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary, said at a briefing on Tuesday.

"We've talked about the challenges facing the Ukrainian economy, and the President [of the U.S.] believes that now is an appropriate time for us to show some support for the people of Ukraine as they confront these difficult challenges," he told journalists.

Also, Earnest said that U.S. authorities are to send additional loan guarantees worth $1 billion to Kyiv in the first half of 2015.

On Tuesday the U.S. Treasury Department released a statement which said that the United States intends to provide a $1 billion loan guarantee to the Ukrainian government in the first half of 2015, provided Ukraine remains on-track with its reform program, and that this has been agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These reforms include measures to combat corruption, repair the financial system and strengthen the business environment.