EU gives Ukraine 600 million euros to help steady economy

The EU agreed Thursday to give Ukraine 600 million euros in loans as a deadly conflict with pro-Russian rebels continues to sap efforts to stabilise its economy, a statement said. The payment brings total EU macro-financial assistance (MFA) for Ukraine to 2.8 billion euros ($3.0 billion) since 2014, when Kiev broke decisively with Soviet-era master Russia to focus on building ties with the European Union.
The European Commission said the MFA programme has helped Ukraine raise international finance and supported EU-backed reform efforts to root out corruption and restructure the economy.