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epa04143038 (FILE) A file photo dated 18 May 2011 showing the sign and name of the International Monetary Fund at the entrance of the Headquarters of the IMF, also known as building HQ2, in Washington, DC, USA. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 27 March 2014 offered Ukraine between 14 and 18 billion dollars in loans over two years to help the country avoid financial collapse after months of unrest that culminated in Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine's interim leaders, who came to power after three months of pro-European Union protests that forced president Viktor Yanukovych to flee the country in late February, have already started discussing a series of reforms aimed at stabilizing the economy. Measures announced by interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Thursday include axing 24,000 public sector jobs and special pensions for members of the judiciary and the military, as well as a 50-per-cent increase in gas prices, starting on May 1. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO