KIEV, Jan. 31 - Vneshtorgbank (VTB), the state-owned Russian bank, paid $70 million for 98% stake in Mriya Bank, a small Ukrainian bank with developed regional network, a Mriya official said Tuesday.

Ihor Kononenko, the chairman of Mriya, said the deal had been signed Tuesday during a visit by VTB President Andrei Kostin to Ukraine. Mriya Bank has been associated with interests of Petro Poroshenko, a former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.