KIEV, Aug. 20 – The national Ukragroleasing said UAH750-850 million must be allocated from the national budget over the next four-to-five years for leasing machinery for the Ukrainian agriculture sector.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – The Ukrainian Grain Association said that the grain export quotas should be set for the whole marketing year (July 2007 to June 2008), taking into account domestic grain stocks, with half of the export volume given to exporters by Jan. 1, 2008, and the second half given by June 2008.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – A decision to build storage pump three at the Tashlyk pumped-storage plant will be made in November after a comprehensive study of the characteristics of the upper Tashlyk storage pond, which is also a cooling pond for the Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant, EnergoAtom reported.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – The transfer of a state stake in UkrTatNafta from the management of the national Naftogaz Ukrayiny to the State Property Fund would not cut the statutory fund of Naftogaz Ukrayiny, according to an official report by UkrTatNafta posted on the company's Web site.

KIEV, Aug. 21 ??“ The National Bank of Ukraine has purchased excess supply of foreign currency worth $330 million on the interbank forex market this month, up from $315 million in July, Valeriy Lytvytsky, the head of the advisors group in the bank, told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Aug. 18 ??“ The Antimonopoly Committee has given the thumbs-up to Moscow-based ZAO Bank Russian Standard to acquire over 50% of Kiev-based AIS-Bank Ltd, the Committee reported on Friday.

WARSAW, Aug. 18. - Ukraine has not changed its official position to support the extension of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline to Poland - and recent comments by the Ukrainian government to study the pipeline's future should be seen in the context of gas price negotiations with Russia, Marcin Jastrzebski, the general director of Sarmatia, the company in charge of the Polish extension, told Interfax Friday.

LONDON, Aug. 21 - Fitch Ratings announced it has downgraded Ukraine-based Stirol's Issuer Default rating (IDR) to 'B-' (B minus) from 'B.??™

KIEV, Aug. 21 ??“ Owners of large filling station chains in Ukraine within a week adjusted the price of A-95 gasoline with the level approved by the Fuel and Energy Ministry.

KIEV, Aug. 21 - Russian and Ukrainian oil companies will seek to boost supplies of crude to Ukraine in order to increase production and exports of gasoline, according to an agreement signed with the government Monday.