Ukrainian PM appeals to EU for immediate financial aid

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk (L) gestures during a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels December 15, 2014. REUTERS/Eric Vidal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk appealed to the European Union for urgent financial aid on Monday, saying the government was doing all it could to fix a shattered economy but needed help.

A year of revolution and war with pro-Russian separatists has pushed Ukraine's hryvnia currency to record lows and crippled the economy, which was already near bankruptcy after years of corruption and economic mismanagement.