IMF says Russian offer on Ukraine debt is positive step

Visitors are silhouetted against the logo of the International Monetary Fund at the main venue for the IMF and World Bank annual meeting in Tokyo October 10, 2012. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund welcomed an offer by Russia to restructure Ukraine's debt as a positive step, a spokeswoman for the Fund said on Monday.

"The proposal made by the Russian authorities regarding debt restructuring for Ukraine is a positive step," the spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. "The details would now need to be discussed between the Russian authorities and the Ukrainian authorities. We await the outcome of those discussions."