The US defense budget obliges the US government representatives in international development banks, including the IMF where the US is the largest shareholder, to promote changes in these bank’s policies to reduce Ukraine’s debt burden. The US government is tasked with prompting the IMF to review and possibly cancel additional payments for Ukraine’s loans, writes AP. In particular, countries with large debts to the IMF are charged additional fees for loans. The US is interested in changing this policy against the background of the decision to provide tens of billions in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war. According to a recent decision, Ukraine will receive $44.9B in aid from the US as part of the $1.7T government spending law. Part of this money will go to servicing IMF loans. According to the World Bank, in 2023, Ukraine will owe the IMF approximately $360M in additional fees alone.