Kiev, April 18 : Sergiy Nikolaychuk, the deputy chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), said the war-torn nation plans to attract $42 billion in financial aid this year as Russia continues its full scale invasion of Kiev. In particular, Ukraine is counting on receiving about $4.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Nikolaychuk said after his visit to the US, where he met officials of the global lender, reports Xinhua news agency. "The financial support of our partners is very important in this challenging time for Ukraine," Nikolaychuk stressed. The situation in the Ukrainian economy this year has improved compared with that of 2022, the official noted. Last month, the IMF approved a 48-month extended arrangement for Ukraine worth about $15.6 billion. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said his government hoped to receive $115 billion in long-term support from partners. /IANS