KIEV, Ukraine -- A Ukrainian governmental delegation went to Russia on Friday for secret talks on a loan, a presidential representative said on Saturday on Ukraine's Inter TV channel."Yesterday, a governmental delegation has secretly left for talks on a special loan to prevent the bankruptcy of the country's energy company Naftogaz of Ukraine," said Bohdan Sokolovsky, the president's international energy security envoy.The government's press service dismissed the claims.Sokolovsky urged the parliament, the ruling coalition and the opposition to take urgent action."Of course, the Ukrainian president... demands that such illegal actions are immediately stopped and the Ukrainian people are clearly informed on the situation with Naftogaz of Ukraine," he said.He added that Naftogaz of Ukraine could be brought to bankruptcy by the deal on gas prices agreed in Moscow on January 19, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency said.Russia suspended supplies to Ukraine on January 1 after the former Soviet neighbors failed to reach an agreement on a new gas contract for 2009. A week later, Gazprom cut off gas deliveries to the European Union, saying Ukraine was stealing gas intended for EU consumers.The two countries' prime ministers, Vladimir Putin and Yulia Tymoshenko, and the chiefs of Gazprom and Naftogaz signed a deal to resume gas supplies on January 19.Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and officials in his administration have criticized the deal Tymoshenko struck with Putin which allowed the resumption of gas shipments to and through Ukraine.
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