WASHINGTON, Mar 1 (AFP): International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde urged calm over Ukraine's economic situation on Friday as talks on cobbling together international aid for the country stepped up pace.
With the new government in Kiev seeking "at least" $15 billion for this year, Lagarde said it was "highly premature" to toss around large figures before a proper assessment of the country's needs.
"We do not see anything that is critical, that is worthy of panic at the moment," Lagarde said after talks on Ukraine with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Washington.
"We need to rely on facts," she said, adding that an IMF team would arrive in Ukraine early next week to begin an assessment.
That team, she added, would be discussing current policies "as well as expected policies" that would be crucial in a support program for the country.
She spoke as discussions to muster a financial rescue for the country in the wake of the overthrow of Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovych gained speed.
The revolt led to Moscow canceling a much-needed $15 billion loan to the country after only $3 billion had been disbursed, leaving Kiev with little cash in its coffers and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
But US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Russia had assured him that it was willing to rejoin the effort.
Kerry said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated during a Friday phone call that Russia would be "involved in helping to deal with the economic transition that needs to take place at this point."
Steinmeier said in Washington that any support should have a wide base of contributors.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday said Russia is ready to help Ukraine as it seeks to stave off economic collapse.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated during a Friday phone call "that they are prepared to be engaged and be involved in helping to deal with the economic transition that needs to take place at this point," Kerry told reporters.
The top US diplomat said he had stressed during the call with Lavrov the urgent need to focus on Ukraine's economy as the IMF prepares to send a fact-finding mission to the cash-strapped country.
On Monday, Ukraine's new leaders, who took over after the ousting of president Viktor Yanukovych, said the country needs $35 billion to support the government's needs and avoid defaulting on its debt.
But IMF chief Catherine Lagarde Friday urged calm, saying: "We do not see anything that is critical, that is worthy of panic at the moment."
Kerry told reporters at the State Department that "the primary focus of everybody should be on the creation of a stable transitioning process that allows Ukrainians to be able to make their choice in a free and fair election, while we all work to help stabilize the economy."
"That's in Russia's interests, in the United States' interests, in the world's interests," Kerry added, after talks with his Colombian counterpart Maria Holguin.
"We do not want to get caught up in the historical, or the more current tensions over associations' agreements or NATO or other kinds of things," he urged, in a side swipe at Moscow which has sought to stop the former Soviet satellite moving closer to the European Union.
