OREANDA-NEWS. On May 26, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine authorized the issuance of bonds worth \$1 billion USD on the international markets, following the recent signing of the Loan Guarantee Agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the United States. The Agreement provides that the Ukrainian bonds will be fully guaranteed by the United States – as a result, the bonds will be priced by participants on the international debt markets on the basis of United States Government rates.

This is the second Loan Guarantee Agreement signed between the two countries since the Revolution of Dignity, reflecting the continued support and trust shown by the United States for Ukraine’s efforts towards macroeconomic stabilization and growth. This Agreement, being part of a broad international package of bilateral and multilateral economic support for Ukraine including the IMF four year program (IMF-Extended Fund Facility), solidifies support for the Ukrainian Government’s economic reform policies.

The issuance of the bonds comes in the wake of a series of recent positive developments reflecting the growing international support and acknowledgment of Ukraine’s efforts to return to economic growth in 2016. The bonds, alongside the recent EU macro financial assistance, are intended to replace existing debt with more serviceable and less expensive international obligations.  If successful, this bond issue, the Ukreximbank debt operation, and the contemplated sovereign debt operation, are expected to result in a reduction of Ukraine’s debt burden potentially creating the conditions for a return to economic growth.