Deputies pass budget as Ukraine seeks to unlock frozen IMF billions

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian lawmakers passed the 2019 budget early on Friday, a crucial step towards securing the first tranche of a new $3.9 billion IMF aid programme and providing financial stability ahead of elections next year.Finance Minister Oksana Markarova said the government would submit the budget to the International Monetary Fund for assessment as quickly as possible but declined to comment on the tranche size.Exact details of the budget's final version are not yet public but..