Ukraine's Naftogaz says agrees delayed debt payment

KIEV, March 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz, often at the centre of energy rows with Russia due to its sketchy ability to pay for gas bills, said on Friday it had preliminary agreement to delay payment of $2.8 billion of debt.

The company said it expects to finalise the deal by the end of the month with lender, state savings bank Oshchadbank, to delay payment nu 10 years of 22 billion hryvnias of debt it incurred in 2008-2009.