IMF mission to Ukraine says reforms critical for growth

KIEV (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Friday Ukraine must stick to its reform commitments, including planned pension changes, in order to achieve stronger and sustainable growth. The statement was released following a visit by an IMF mission to Ukraine to review its progress under a $17.5 billion bailout programme. "While the near-term outlook is positive, decisive implementation of structural reforms remains critical to achieve stronger and sustainable growth that Ukraine needs over the medium-term," mission chief Ron van Rooden said in the statement. He said further technical work remained to be done on proposed legislation to meet reform objectives, but said discussions with Ukrainian authorities had been "constructive". (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Gareth Jones)