IMF urges 'steady implementation' of Ukraine loan programme

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Friday urged Ukraine's leaders to press forward with "steady implementation" of the economic reforms agreed with the fund a day after the prime minister tendered his resignation. A fund spokesperson said the IMF's Managing Director Christine Lagarde spoke by telephone to Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, who tendered his resignation on Thursday. "The discussions focussed on the implications of the recent political developments in Ukraine for economic policies, in particular for the authorities' ability to implement the (IMF loan) programme," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The managing director encouraged steady implementation of the authorities' reform programme, including the policy package recently agreed with fund staff." (Reporting by Timothy Ahmann)