The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has indefinitely postponed its planned consultation mission to Russia due to technical issues, according to TASS and Alexei Mozhin, Russia’s director at the IMF. The IMF communicated the postponement to Russia and its board of directors, citing the mission’s technical unpreparedness as the primary reason.
Originally scheduled to begin online consultations on Monday, the mission would have been the IMF’s first major visit to Russia since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It was set to include a subsequent in-person visit to Moscow for meetings with Russian officials.
The delay follows significant objections from Ukraine and its Western allies, who argued that the mission could imply a normalization of relations with Russia, despite ongoing military conflicts and occupation of Ukrainian territory. These objections reflect concerns about the implications of resuming formal interactions with Russia in the context of the ongoing war.
Mozhin stated that the Russian side was fully prepared to receive the mission, despite never formally requesting it. He also highlighted that preparations for the consultations began over a year ago, in alignment with IMF rules. The last IMF mission to Russia took place in November 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
The IMF has not yet responded to requests for further comment regarding the postponed mission.
