Ukraine's international reserves "shrank" by 5% - NBU says, due to currency sales and debt repayment
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine's international reserves decreased by 5% to $54.8 billion at the beginning of March. This was due to currency sales and public debt payments, although the volume of reserves remains sufficient.
Ukraine's international reserves decreased by 5% to $54.8 billion at the beginning of March due to currency sales and debt payments, the National Bank of Ukraine reported on March 6, writes UNN.
Ukraine's international reserves as of March 1, 2026, according to preliminary data, amounted to US$54,753.4 million. In February, they decreased by 5.0%.
The regulator explained this dynamic by "the NBU's foreign exchange interventions and the country's debt payments in foreign currency." "These operations were only partially offset by receipts from international partners and from the placement of foreign currency domestic government bonds (foreign currency OVDPs)," the statement said.
"Despite the decrease, the volume of international reserves is sufficient to maintain the stability of the foreign exchange market," the National Bank emphasized.
In February, compared to January 2026, the net sale of foreign currency by the National Bank decreased by 19.8%. According to the NBU's balance sheet data, it sold USD 2,989.5 million on the foreign exchange market.
In February, $1 billion was received into the government's foreign currency accounts at the NBU, including: $690.8 million through World Bank accounts within the framework of the G7 ERA initiative; $309.6 million from the placement of domestic government bonds.
UAH 804.1 million was paid for servicing and repayment of public debt in foreign currency, including: UAH 472.2 million - servicing and repayment of domestic government bonds; UAH 331.9 million - payments to other creditors. In addition, Ukraine paid UAH 279.7 million to the IMF.
The current volume of international reserves provides financing for 5.7 months of future imports.