President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration overcame resistance from large numbers of deputies to secure passage of laws which open the way for new IMF credits.

Ukraine’s renewables sector is in chaos, marred by unrealistic promises, setbacks caused by the COVID pandemic - and spiralling debt that has left Kyiv on the hook to foreign green energy producers at a tab of close to $1 billion.

Kazakhstan plans to boost refining volumes by 7.6 percent year-on-year to 17 million tonnes and increase production of refined products by 7.8 percent.

The EBRD predicted that growth in the South Caucasus and Central Asia in 2021 would be stronger than it initially expected, though it warned a slow pace of vaccinations left the recovery vulnerable to an autumn COVID-19 wave.

The government forecasts about 4 percent growth in 2021 – after registering negative growth of 4 percent in 2020.