International lenders ready to give Ukraine up $1.7 bill

[admin]

International lenders are ready to give Ukraine up to $1.7 billion in loans to help it pay a massive natural gas bill to Russia and reform its energy sector, the European Commission said Friday.Ukraine sought up to $4.2 billion to pay Russia for gas supplies as it struggles with a severe economic downturn. A payment dispute between the two nations halted European gas deliveries in January, cutting off heating to thousands of homes during the winter.