KIEV, Nov. 18 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko recently had a secret meeting with George Soros, the U.S.-based financier and currency speculator, seeking his advice on how to deal with the escalating financial crisis in Ukraine.

The Nov. 8 meting, which was originally not reported and kept secret even from some of the closest Tymoshenko allies, came as the hryvnia faced major downward pressure against the dollar.