KIEV, Nov. 20 – The reduction in activity of foreign banks on the Ukrainian market is linked to the toughening of requirements on capital in the European Union, National Bank of Ukraine Governor Ihor Sorkin said.

KIEV, Nov. 20 - Pipeline operators in Ukraine and Slovakia are on the verge of signing a deal that will allow the European Union to ship gas through Slovakia to Ukraine, reducing Kiev's dependence on Russia, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Nov. 19 - Metinvest, Ukraine's biggest iron and steel holding, has rejected reports it was buying Slovakia-based U.S. Steel Kosice.

"We haven't bought it," an official Metinvest representative told Interfax, without commenting further.

U.S. Steel has also denied Slovak press reports that U.S. Steel Kosice was being sold to Metinvest.

KIEV, Nov. 19 – Ukraine expects to sign a loan agreement with the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in late 2012 to improve the safety of the country's nuclear power plants, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko said on Inter television channel on Friday.

KIEV, Nov. 19 - Ukraine could cut steel roll output 8% this year to 29.107 million tons, according to a representative of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry.

Crude steel production could fall 6% to 32.571 million tons and pig iron - 1% to 28.488 million tons.

KIEV, Nov. 20 - Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrayiny has declared Luhansk-based LLC Universal Commercial Company the winner of a tender to perform 3D seismic research at the Pallas zone on the Black Sea shelf for $51 million.

KIEV, Nov. 20 – The State Tax Service is technically ready to accept tax declarations from all Ukrainians, although the problem of motivating citizens has to be settled by demonstrating the benefits of paying taxes voluntarily, Oleksandr Klymenko, head of the State Tax Service, said in comments to Dzerkalo Tyzhnia Ukraine weekly.

KIEV, Nov. 20 - Ukraine, whose national currency has been facing mounting downward pressure due to a widening trade deficit, issued $1.25 billion in 10-year eurobonds, people familiar with transaction said Tuesday.

MOSCOW, Nov. 18 - Russian oil major Lukoil is considering renewing operations at Odessa Oil Refinery and is looking at various alternatives, Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Nov. 18 – The Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry has decided to merge state-owned Naftogaz Ukrayiny and its subsidiary Gaz Ukrayiny, according to a statement in the Uriadovy Kurier newspaper.

The decision was stipulated in ministry order No. 656 of October 27.