WASHINGTON, June 10. /TASS/. The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which convened on Tuesday, approved issuing a 5-billion loan for Ukraine for 18 months, the IMF said in a statement.

"The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved today an 18-month Stand-by Arrangement for Ukraine," the statement says.

"The approval of the SBA enables the immediate disbursement of the equivalent of SDR 1.5 billion (about US$2.1 billion)," it says.