KIEV, July 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian parliament passed on Wednesday budget amendments that will see the national bank provide an extra $1.3 billion for Euro 2012 preparations.

The move came less than a week after President Viktor Yushchenko said the country faced an uphill struggle to be ready for the tournament.

Ukraine has been hard hit by the global financial crisis, and delays in the implementation of plans to improve infrastructure have lagged far behind UEFA requirements. UEFA president Michel Platini said recently that, "There are huge infrastructure problems to be resolved in Ukraine."

European football's governing body has so far only confirmed that the capital, Kiev, will host games, although it has not yet approved the city as the venue for the final. A decision on the suitability of the three other cities - Donetsk, Lvov and Kharkov - will be made on November 30.

Ukraine and Poland were named as joint hosts for the tournament in April 2007. All four Polish cities put forward for Euro 2012 - Warsaw (opening game), Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk - have been confirmed by UEFA as venues.