Most attention on Ukraine over the past six months has focused on the conflict that the Ukrainian military has fought with separatists and Russian forces in the eastern part of the country. But Kyiv faces other equally critical problems: managing a financial crunch and moving forward with badly needed economic reforms. The Ukrainian government received good news on March 11, when the International Monetary Fund approved a $17.5 billion extended fund facility. But Kyiv still faces tough financial and economic challenges.
On March 17, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings hosted a talk by Natalie Jaresko, Minister of Finance of Ukraine, on how Kyiv intends to meet these challenges. Acting Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Bruce Jones introduced the minister. Following her opening remarks, Steven Pifer, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy, moderated a discussion with questions from the audience.