NEW YORK: The International Monetary Fund expects Ukraine to continue to service its foreign debt, an IMF spokesman said on Thursday.

At the moment Ukraine is servicing its debt in an orderly way, said Fund spokesman Gerry Rice in a scheduled news briefing. “We would expect that to continue.”

He said the IMF sees international community grant financing as a priority for the immediate and short-term, as “that would allow the Ukrainian government to remain operational without incurring further debt.”

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Ukraine’s state-owned gas company Naftogaz asked its international creditors earlier this week to allow for a two-year deferral on debt payments, fueling bets that the sovereign could follow.

Creditors were urged Thursday to reject the company’s request.

Ukraine’s economy and government revenue have shrunk significantly since Russia’s invasion in late February.