Ukraine eyes 7.8 bln USD in foreign aid by yearend

KIEV, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is aiming to attract 7.8 billion U.S. dollars in foreign aid by the end of the year, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Monday, citing Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.

Marchenko told reporters in Kiev that Ukraine is counting on receiving 4.8 billion dollars from international partners this month, and the rest of the sum in December.

"December is the last month of the year and usually December expenses are the highest and above the monthly average. Therefore, of course, we are now looking for all the possibilities to pass through both November and December painlessly," Marchenko said.

While commenting on the financing in January-March 2023, Marchenko said that Ukraine is going to send part of the announced assistance of 18 billion euros (about 18.58 billion dollars) from the European Union to cover the budget gap.

According to the government, Ukraine needs about 5 billion dollars per month to offset its budget deficit.

Last month, the Finance Ministry said that Ukraine had received 24.1 billion dollars in international aid since the start of the conflict with Russia on Feb. 24.