U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will look to advance debt-restructuring talks for poor countries, push ahead development-bank revisions and bolster support for Ukraine as global finance officials gather in Washington for spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
A senior Treasury official, speaking to reporters Monday, said the United States expects incremental progress on debt treatment this week, specifying that significant advances would depend on Beijing. China is the largest creditor to the developing world and has so far refused to sign off on any comprehensive restructuring deals.
Yellen has also been pursuing a plan for reshaping the World Bank in a way that would allow it to address cross-border development threats, like climate change and pandemics.
On Tuesday, she is to attend a bilateral meeting with India Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who will chair the Group of 20's meeting of finance ministers. Yellen will give brief public remarks. Wednesday, she will deliver the opening remarks at the Multilateral Development Bank Roundtable. She will also give remarks at a bilateral meeting with Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, on Thursday.
WASHINGTON POST