By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Remaining Ukrainian forces in the southern port of Mariupol are still fighting and continue to defy a Russian demand that they surrender, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sunday.
“The city still has not fallen,” Shmyhal told ABC’s “This Week” program, adding that Ukrainian soldiers continue to control some parts of the city.
“So there is no whole control” of Mariupol by Russian forces, Shmyhal said.
Shmyhal said that he and Ukrainian finance officials will seek more financial assistance this week during International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington.
“We need more money for executing of our humanitarian and social obligations,” Shmyhal said. “Now, only half of our economy is working. So we ask for financial support.”
Shmyhal added that Ukraine is currently running a budget deficit of about $5 billion per month.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
