Ukraine's finance minister said a "win-win" deal for restructuring $18 billion of debt had been agreed with a group of its largest creditors, involving a 20% reduction in total principal owed.
The agreement ends more than five months of sometimes bitter negotiations aimed at plugging a $15 billion funding gap in Ukraine's finances which are suffering from the economic damage of the fighting in the east with pro-Russian separatists.
The deal should help keep Ukraine's national currency, the hryvnia, stable and allow increased spending on defence