Real economic growth in Ukraine in the medium term could reach 7-8%, but without significant improvement in investment environment they will remain at 4.5%, Martin Raiser, World Bank Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, told the Washington-based UKRINFORM correspondent.

Raiser said that because of weak investment environment Ukraine will be dependent on international environment until it solves this issue.

As referred to short-term prospects of the Ukrainian economy, he voiced confidence that "Ukraine could be far better protected in the current situation on world markets, if it continued to receive IMF support under the Stand-By Arrangement.

During the 2011 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, economists shared their forecasts for economic development in different regions of the world, including Europe and Central Asia.

Thus, according to World Bank Vice-President Philippe Le Houerou, Ukraine was among the countries most hit by the crisis: "The reduction of GDP was almost 15%. And now we see a growth of around 4%".

Among the risks to the recovery of regional economies, including the Ukrainian one, representatives of the World Bank called, in particular, an increased public debt after the crisis.

UKRINFORM