NEW YORK, May 30 - The United States has opened an investigation into Ukraine for its failure to enforce intellectual property rights, such as curbing government use of pirated software, The Hill reported Thursday, citing a top U.S. trade regulator.

KIEV, May 30 – Ukraine soon will draw up a road map for the development of renewable energy sources, according to Mykola Pashkevych, chairman of the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving.

KIEV, May 30 – Russia has been seeking either political or business concessions from Ukraine in exchange for lowering its natural gas prices, Kommersant daily newspaper reported Tuesday citing a Ukrainian government source.

MOSCOW, May 27 – Karpatnaftokhim (Kalush, Ukraine, part of LUKOIL group) has started production of suspension polyvinylchloride (PVC-S).

LUKOIL said that the planned capacity of the new facility is 300,000 tons of PVC per year. The investment in the project, the realization of which started in 2007, has reached $236 million.

KIEV, May 30 – The Ukrainian Association of Car Importers and Dealers believes that the initiative of the Ukrainian authorities to introduce car import quotas if a free trade zone with the European Union is created is unacceptable.

KIEV, May 30 – The only chance to ensure the full development of Ukraine is to modernize the economy, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Andriy Kliuyev said.

KIEV, May 30 – Natural gas stocks in underground storage facilities grew by 26% or 2.7 billion cubic meters (bcm), to 13 bcm from April 16 to May 25, Ukrtransgaz, a subsidiary of Naftogaz Ukrayiny, reported.

KIEV, May 30 – Ukrgazvydobuvannia, a subsidiary of Naftogaz Ukrayiny, plans to buy 69 filling stations and three oil depots worth a total of UAH 1.319 billion in 2011.

KIEV, May 27 - The share of bad credits in the total amount of loans extended by Ukrainian banks in April 2010 grew by 0.3 percentage points, to 10.3% by May 1, 2010, the National Bank of Ukraine reported.

KIEV, May 27 - The overall size of the Ukrainian banks' mortgage portfolios shrank by 3.48% or by UAH 3.64 billion in Q1, to UAH 101.1 billion as of April 1, the Ukrainian National Mortgage Association said in an analytical report.