The central bank said it was ready to raise the rate in the future if a more significant increase in inflationary pressures.

The IMF agreed a $5 billion standby arrangement with Kyiv a year ago and quickly disbursed $2.1 billion, but subsequent tranches have been withheld.

Naftogaz has been trying to lobby support for the U.S. to proceed with sanctions against Nord Stream 2. But U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described the pipeline as a “fait accompli”.

Placing a major new plant in Mariupol would provide a big boost to the town, a key forepost in the Donbass conflict and scene of major shelling in early 2015.

Zelensky raged against U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to abandon sanctions against the pipeline and begged the U.S. leader to meet him before a Russia-U.S summit in Geneva on June 16.