BENGALURU, India – The global economy is in a better place today than many predicted months ago, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday.

Ukraine, however, is still in need of aid, one year after Russia’s invasion.

Dr Yellen’s comments, delivered at a press conference in Bengaluru, India, where finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 (G-20) countries are gathering on Feb 22 to 25, highlight a shift in tone on the global economic outlook from the last time the world’s top policymakers met in October.

“The challenges we face are real, and the future is always uncertain. But the outlook has improved since we gathered in the fall,” Dr Yellen said, according to the text of her prepared remarks.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said earlier it saw a “turning point” for the global economy and raised its growth outlook for the first time in a year.

At home, Dr Yellen pointed to a resilient US economy, where headline inflation has moderated over the past few months and the labour market remains strong.

On the global front, she stressed the importance of being attentive to “the spillovers of macroeconomic tightening” from major economies to the rest of the world.

Dr Yellen noted signs of declining headline inflation across the globe, but stressed “there’s much more work to do”.

Speaking a day before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dr Yellen also reiterated the US administration’s readiness to continue sending Kyiv billions of dollars in aid as it battles Russian aggression and missile attacks.

The US has provided over US$46 billion (S$62 billion) in security, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and expects to provide around US$10 billion in additional economic support over the coming months, Dr Yellen said.

Financial aid, used to support critical public services and help keep the government running, is one of several ways in which the US and its allies are helping Ukraine.

Dr Yellen also called for the IMF to move swiftly towards a fully financed programme for Ukraine, and said that continued, robust support for Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion during her time in India.

“Our twin goals are to degrade Russia’s military-industrial complex and reduce the revenues that it can use to fund its war,” she said.

Dr Yellen’s spotlight on the war in Ukraine is at odds with G-20 host India’s efforts to downplay the conflict during the group’s deliberations. Indian officials guiding the event are going so far as to seek avoiding the word “war” in any joint statement that concludes the meetings. BLOOMBERG