The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine to provide Kyiv with about $1.1 billion in financial assistance, the IMF announced on Sept. 10. The IMF team led by Gavin Gray held week-long negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv on the fifth review of the country’s four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program. The EFF is a long-term funding agreement that will allow Ukraine to access $15.6 billion in financial aid in regular installments. The two parties reached a staff-level agreement. If approved by the IMF Executive Board, which is expec…