Reuters: Ukraine secures 300 mln euros in bank loans for gas link repairs
Kiev secured 300 million euros ($374 million) in development loans to repair the leaking pipeline that is the main gas route from Russia to the EU, under a deal on Monday that the lenders said was a step towards making Ukraine a gas-trading hub.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) officials, in Brussels to hand over to Ukraine 150 million euros on top of 150 million already promised by the European Investment Bank, also said the bank was considering financing gas purchases.
That could help Ukraine to pay for gas imports - potentially avoiding the kind of crisis that this year caused a six-month cut-off of Russian gas to Kiev - but any deal would have to be agreed by the EBRD board and be coupled with commitments of reform.