IMF "End of war in Ukraine at the end of next year or mid-year after"

The war in Ukraine is expected to end at the end of next year or around the middle of the year after, the International Monetary Fund has predicted.

According to the Ukrainian daily Kyiv Independent on the 22nd local time, the IMF gave the latest forecast on the possibility of the end of the war in Ukraine.

The IMF first presented the end of the war in Ukraine at the end of 2025 as a basic scenario.

In that case, Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 4% in 2024, up from previous projections, the IMF predicted.

The IMF said investments in electricity generation and imports from Europe would mitigate the impact of winter energy shortages.

The IMF, however, predicts that inflation will rise to 10% due to rising food prices and falling currency values.

Ukraine will see GDP growth of 2.5 to 3.5% in 2025, given improved energy supply capacity, improved income levels and eased inflationary pressure, the IMF said.

The second scenario is that the war in Ukraine will continue until mid-2026, which will have a significant impact on Ukraine's economic stability, the IMF said.

The IMF expressed concern that a prolonged war could result in a more severe economic shock, including a slowdown in GDP recovery, rising inflation and a fiscal deficit that would exceed 20% by 2026.

Meanwhile, the IMF concluded its sixth review of Ukraine's expanded financial program the day before and approved an additional $1.1 billion (about 1.5933 trillion won) in support.

The IMF plans to provide $15.6 billion (about 22.596.6 trillion won) over four years, including $9.8 billion (about 14.1953 trillion won) so far.