KIEV, Aug. 20 - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is reluctant to secure $1.7 billion in natural gas loans negotiated with the European Commission, and instead focuses on "secret" talks with undisclosed lenders, a senior official said Thursday.

The European Commission last month helped Ukraine to negotiate $1.7 billion in lending from international financial institutions to finance reforms in Ukraine’s natural gas sector, but the government had later delayed the talks.