US may provide Ukraine with additional guarantees of $2 bln

The U.S. government is planning in the coming days to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine as part of the previously announced commitments to provide financial assistance.

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden said in it a video message on the occasion of the International Conference in Support of Ukraine in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"In addition to $1 billion in loan guarantees that were allocated to Ukraine last year, the U.S. is planning in the coming days to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine and another $1 billion before the end of the year, if Kyiv continues to reform," Biden said.

According to Biden, the U.S. is also providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, the amount of which has reached $450 million.

As UNIAN reported earlier, in late January 2015, Ukraine and the United States signed the declaration on providing Kyiv with the loan guarantees from the U.S. government worth $2 billion.

"The U.S. government intends to propose to congress to increase the package of loan guarantees up to $3 billion in the case of the implementation of reforms in fighting against corruption, reforming the energy sector, and improving the business climate," U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said.

In March 2015, Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalia Jaresko said that the Ministry of Finance would plan to issue $1 bln worth of eurobonds backed by U.S. guarantees in April-May.

The loan guarantees from the U.S. government were not the first step towards Ukraine.