Ukraine's deputy prime minister says he has secured an urgent loan of some $2 billion from the IMF that should help pay for Russian natural gas.

Hryhoriy Nemyria said Friday he secured the deal with the International Monetary Fund after meeting with its leadership in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

Nemyria's spokeswoman Nataliya Lysova says that part of they money will be used to make gas payments to Russia that are next coming due in early January.

Lysova says that the $2 billion will come out of the final portion of the IMF bailout loan to Ukraine, which the lender froze in October due to concerns over Ukraine's budget deficit.