Japan has postponed four loan payments from Ukraine.

On January 16, the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Serhiy Marchenko, at a meeting with the Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine, Kuninori Matsuda, signed an agreement on the payment postponement for the repayment and servicing of loans. It provides a delay in payment of about $50M for loan debt resulting from four credit agreements for the years 2027-2031. Postponing service payments and repayment of loans will reduce the debt burden on the state budget and all Ukraine to direct funds toward maintaining its financial security and for its defense needs, Marchenko added. Japan offered Ukraine the opportunity to postpone the repayment and service of Ukraine’s loan debt as part of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Suspension of Payments on the official debt with the G7 creditor countries. It was signed on September 14, 2022, by the government of Ukraine and the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US.