Yesterday at 19:23
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the U.S. is offering Ukraine a loan guarantee of $1 billion to help strengthen its economy in the midst of “Russia’s destabilizing behavior.” Blinken stated it on his Twitter.
The loan will help support Ukraine’s “economic reform agenda and continued engagement with the International Monetary Fund” and promote “economic stability, growth, and prosperity,” according to a statement by the department.
Read also: UK working to provide more military support to Ukraine
The U.S. previously issued three separate $1 billion sovereign loan guarantees to Ukraine between 2014 and 2016. The State Department added that it would be seeking “additional ways to support Ukraine and its people.”
This move from the U.S. comes as officials have warned for weeks that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could come as early as this week. On February 14, the U.S. closed down its embassy in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv and moved its operations to the western part of the country. The State Department advised Americans against travel to Belarus and Moldova citing the increased military buildups along the countries’ borders.
Earlier today, Canada offered a loan of up to $393 million to support Ukraine and USD 6,1 mln worth of lethal equipment and ammunition.
Read also: West’s military assistance to Ukraine amounted to $ 1.5 billion, – PM
