IMF reportedly postpones controversial visit to Russia, 18 September 2024

The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) planned visit to Russia has been "postponed indefinitely," Russian state-controlled news agency TASS reported...

News emerged earlier in September that the IMF was preparing to send its first mission to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The IMF last visited Russia in November 2019, before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic...

Several European countries, including Sweden, Finland, Poland, and the Baltic states, criticized the IMF's decision to travel to Moscow.

Citing two sources, Politico reported that the IMF originally suggested holding the meeting in a third country, but "eventually accepted the Kremlin's condition to travel to Russia."

The IMF's Russian executive director, Alexei Mozhin, told TASS on Sept. 17 that the visit had been postponed due to "technical unpreparedness" on the visiting side, but Russia is still ready to accept the visit...