KIEV, March 26 – The size and the pace of the cut in import duties on grape juice and wine, as proposed by the government in the light of Ukraine's joining the World Trade Organization, could lead to a slump in domestic wine growing, according to representatives of the sector.

KIEV, March 26 – State direct and guaranteed debt in February grew by 1.9%, or $335 million, to $17.8 billion, according to the Finance Ministry.

The ministry said that since the start of the year, the state debt in hryvnias grew by UAH1.3 billion (1.5%) and in dollars by $260 million.

KIEV, March 26 – The National Nuclear Power Generation Company EnergoAtom and the U.S. company Westinghouse will sign a contract on supplies of nuclear fuel to Ukrainian nuclear power plants on March 30, Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

KIEV, March 26 - Average profit margins in Ukraine's steel industry will drop by more than half in 2008, to 6.5% from 14.75% last year due to higher prices for raw materials, energy and transportation, Vasyl Kharakhulakh, head of industry association Metallurgprom, forecasts.

KIEV, March 26 – Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the third-richest Ukrainian, has started talks seeking to buy a 50% stake in RosUkrEnergo, a controversial Swiss-based supplier of natural gas to Ukraine, an online newspaper reported Wednesday.

KIEV, March 26 ??“ Galychyna oil refinery, Ukraine??™s No. 6 oil refinery by capacity, said its 2006 net losses were UAH 67.4 million, reversing a UAH 2.7 million profits in 2005, a company said.

KIEV, March 26 - Moody's Investor Service, an international rating agency, has assigned a long-term National Scale Rating (NSR) of A1.ua to Bank NRB-Ukraine, Ukraine??™s No. 45 bank by assets.

KIEV, March 26 ??“ Ukrpapirinvest, which is involved in the wholesale tissue paper trade, is to boost its statutory fund by six times, to UAH 12 million, via an additional issue of shares worth UAH 10 million.

KIEV, March 24 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the national oil and gas company, plans to take part in a project to build the Nabucco gas pipeline from Turkey to Europe, Naftogaz Ukrayiny CEO Oleksiy Ivchenko.

KIEV, March 24 ??“ Two U.S. oil companies producing Caspian Sea oil in Kazakhstan have shown interest in sending their crude via an oil pipeline through Ukraine to Poland, a news agency reported citing a Ukrainian official.