WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday talks with Ukraine were looking at containing the budget deficit in 2009, stressing that strong crisis management was essential to help the country overcome its current economic crisis.
IMF spokesman David Hawley said different options were being considered on the fiscal side that will help stabilize Ukraine's economy without undermining public finances. Talks were also focused on monetary policy and on restructuring the banking sector, he added.
An IMF mission failed to sign off on a first performance review of Ukraine's $16.4 billion IMF program during a recent visit, but noted some progress on fiscal, monetary and foreign exchange policies. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by James Dalgleish)