Invitation Letter

Invitation Letter for the Diplomatic briefing on the economic situation in Ukraine,

March 13, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting is pleased to invite you to our regular

monthly "Diplomatic Briefing," where IER experts share their insights on the current economic

situation in Ukraine and present the latest results of our business tendency survey.

The upcoming Diplomatic Briefing, focused on “Ukraine’s economic situation and challenges in

February 2025”, will take place online via Zoom on March 13, 2025, Tuesday, from 16:00 to 17:00

Kyiv time (9:00-10:00 EST / 15:00-16:00 CEST).

In February and early March, the uncertainty increased as U.S. support became less certain than

before, creating risks for Ukraine in terms of security, stability, and strategic decision-making. At the

same time, the EU appears to be consolidating its efforts, advancing plans to strengthen its defense

capabilities, increase defense funding, and reaffirm its long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine.

The UK, Canada, Japan continues supporting Ukraine through various mechanisms and they are

also contributors to the ERA loan mechanism. Meanwhile, a staff-level agreement has been reached

on the seventh review of the IMF program, though Ukraine faced challenges with the implementation

of one of the structural benchmark. Overall, the international financial support for 2025 is rather

sufficient, but there are risks there, which we will discuss briefly during the meeting.

The economic development has been undermined by the russian shelling of energy network and

seaports infrastructure. This resulted in power outages for industry and in some regions for

population, while also creating risks for exports via the Ukrainian Sea Corridor.

The IER experts will discuss these and other recent economic trends - including trade developments,

monetary policy, inflation – as well as challenges and outlook during the Briefing. Additionally, the

results of the IER Business Tendency Survey, conducted in February, will be presented.

Speakers:

Oleksandra Betliy, macroeconomic, public finance, social and healthcare expert, IER Leading

Research Fellow;

Vitaliy Kravchuk, macroeconomic, monetary policy and financial market expert, IER Leading

Research Fellow;

Oksana Kuziakiv, IER Chief Executive, Head of the Center for Contemporary Society studies.

English is a working language of the meeting.

We sincerely hope that you can honor us with your presence.

Please, register for the participation in the Briefings via https://forms.office.com/e/P3n61UvPSy

Diplomatic Briefings represent an exclusive initiative by the IER, thoughtfully tailored to cater to the

needs of diplomatic institutions, government entities, and central banks of Ukraine’s international

partners. We kindly request your discretion in refraining from sharing this invitation with individuals

outside of your respective organizations.

Should you wish to extend this invitation to additional colleagues who would benefit from this

discussion, we would appreciate if you would be so kind to provide us with their contact information.

The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) is a well-known Ukrainian

independent think tank established in 1999, focusing on economic research and policy consulting.

The IER is a top Ukrainian think tank with internationally recognized expertise almost 20 years of

experience in implementing projects on Ukraine's economic development funded by international

donor organizations, i.e. SIDA, USAID, UNDP, World Bank Group and others. In 2017 Global Go To

Think Tank Index Report the IER is one of the 140 Best Independent Think Tanks out of 6,500

surveyed, it is 49th in “Best Advocacy Campaign” category, 69th as best International Economics

Think Tank and 86th best Think Tank in Central and Eastern Europe. The IER has successfully

implemented multiple international donors projects related to the field of reform implementation in

Ukraine. The IER successfully combines professional analysis with active involvement in public

dialogue and advocacy and actively cooperates with Ukrainian national and regional authorities in

issues related to strategic planning and policy development as well as policy implementation. The

IER has the capacity for grant management and provides re-granting for capacity development to

regional civil society organizations and media. The IER financial standing has been secured through

projects as well as private contributions.

Kind regards,

Igor Burakovsky, IER Head of the Board

Invitation Letter for the Diplomatic briefing on the economic situation in Ukraine,

March 13, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting is pleased to invite you to our regular

monthly "Diplomatic Briefing," where IER experts share their insights on the current economic

situation in Ukraine and present the latest results of our business tendency survey.

The upcoming Diplomatic Briefing, focused on “Ukraine’s economic situation and challenges in

February 2025”, will take place online via Zoom on March 13, 2025, Tuesday, from 16:00 to 17:00

Kyiv time (9:00-10:00 EST / 15:00-16:00 CEST).

In February and early March, the uncertainty increased as U.S. support became less certain than

before, creating risks for Ukraine in terms of security, stability, and strategic decision-making. At the

same time, the EU appears to be consolidating its efforts, advancing plans to strengthen its defense

capabilities, increase defense funding, and reaffirm its long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine.

The UK, Canada, Japan continues supporting Ukraine through various mechanisms and they are

also contributors to the ERA loan mechanism. Meanwhile, a staff-level agreement has been reached

on the seventh review of the IMF program, though Ukraine faced challenges with the implementation

of one of the structural benchmark. Overall, the international financial support for 2025 is rather

sufficient, but there are risks there, which we will discuss briefly during the meeting.

The economic development has been undermined by the russian shelling of energy network and

seaports infrastructure. This resulted in power outages for industry and in some regions for

population, while also creating risks for exports via the Ukrainian Sea Corridor.

The IER experts will discuss these and other recent economic trends - including trade developments,

monetary policy, inflation – as well as challenges and outlook during the Briefing. Additionally, the

results of the IER Business Tendency Survey, conducted in February, will be presented.

Speakers:

Oleksandra Betliy, macroeconomic, public finance, social and healthcare expert, IER Leading

Research Fellow;

Vitaliy Kravchuk, macroeconomic, monetary policy and financial market expert, IER Leading

Research Fellow;

Oksana Kuziakiv, IER Chief Executive, Head of the Center for Contemporary Society studies.

English is a working language of the meeting.

We sincerely hope that you can honor us with your presence.

Please, register for the participation in the Briefings via https://forms.office.com/e/P3n61UvPSy

Diplomatic Briefings represent an exclusive initiative by the IER, thoughtfully tailored to cater to the

needs of diplomatic institutions, government entities, and central banks of Ukraine’s international

partners. We kindly request your discretion in refraining from sharing this invitation with individuals

outside of your respective organizations.

Should you wish to extend this invitation to additional colleagues who would benefit from this

discussion, we would appreciate if you would be so kind to provide us with their contact information.

The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) is a well-known Ukrainian

independent think tank established in 1999, focusing on economic research and policy consulting.

The IER is a top Ukrainian think tank with internationally recognized expertise almost 20 years of

experience in implementing projects on Ukraine's economic development funded by international

donor organizations, i.e. SIDA, USAID, UNDP, World Bank Group and others. In 2017 Global Go To

Think Tank Index Report the IER is one of the 140 Best Independent Think Tanks out of 6,500

surveyed, it is 49th in “Best Advocacy Campaign” category, 69th as best International Economics

Think Tank and 86th best Think Tank in Central and Eastern Europe. The IER has successfully

implemented multiple international donors projects related to the field of reform implementation in

Ukraine. The IER successfully combines professional analysis with active involvement in public

dialogue and advocacy and actively cooperates with Ukrainian national and regional authorities in

issues related to strategic planning and policy development as well as policy implementation. The

IER has the capacity for grant management and provides re-granting for capacity development to

regional civil society organizations and media. The IER financial standing has been secured through

projects as well as private contributions.

Kind regards,

Igor Burakovsky, IER Head of the Board