KIEV, Oct. 19 - The World Bank Board of Governors has endorsed guarantees worth $500 million under which Naftogaz Ukrayiny may be provided with credit facilities or loans from international commercial banks to buy natural gas from individual suppliers, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk said.

"I welcome the World Bank Board's decision to grant $500 million in loan guarantees to Naftogaz to buy gas. This would enable us to safely pass the heating season," Danyliuk wrote on his Facebook page.