KIEV/MOSCOW, July 20 - Ukraine's Interpipe denies it is not holding negotiations on a merger with Russia's Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK).

"We are not holding negotiations with TMK, we simply held consultations, with them as well as with others," Interpipe owner Viktor Pinchuk said in an interview with Internet publication Ukrainska Pravda.

He said Interpipe, Ukraine's leading pipe and wheels producer, is getting ready for an initial public offering, but this does not prevent it from holding consultations on potential strategic alliances with leading market players, including TMK.