WESTERN DONORS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIAN REFORMS.

International financial organizations and Western countries will provide $3.5 billion in 1997 to support Ukrainian economic reforms. Of this amount, $1.1 billion is to be granted by the IMF and $1 billion by the World Bank. The decision to provide the assistance was taken at a meeting of donor countries on December 17 in Washington, where tax reform and investment support projects put forward by the Ukrainian government were positively assessed. (Interfax, December 18)

More Violence in Chechnya.