UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 13 - Ukraine on Tuesday defended its decision not to close airspace in the east of the country where a Malaysian passenger plane was shot down, saying it was unaware that anti-aircraft weapons were being used in the area and that planes could be under threat, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Oct. 12 – A large increase in the salaries of Ukrainian military servicemen in the 2016 defense budget will encourage former servicemen to return to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, President Petro Poroshenko said.

KIEV, Oct. 13 – A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was downed by a Buk missile launcher on July 2014 which originated from Russia, Bellingcat open source investigations website has reported.

KIEV, Oct. 10 – The Venice Commission has considered and approved its preliminary conclusions on the bill on proposed amendments to Ukraine's constitution submitted by President Petro Poroshenko, according to a member of the Venice Commission of Ukraine, MP Serhiy Kivalov.

KIEV, Oct. 13 - If the Oct. 26 elections for Parliament were held now, the largest number of votes would be garnered by the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko (33.5%), Oleh Liashko's Radical Party (12.8%) and People's Front (8.9%), according to a survey conducted by the Rating Sociological Group on October 1-8.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 - Ukraine will not need a new International Monetary Fund financing program unless its conflict with pro-Russian separatists worsens significantly, Finance Minister Oleksander Shlapak said on Monday, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Oct. 13 - President Petro Poroshenko proposed a new defense minister on Monday after the previous incumbent resigned amid sharp criticism over a rout of Kiev's troops by Russian-backed separatists in late August, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Oct. 11 – The successful re-stabilization of the hryvnia exchange rate in September, along with the retaining of price stability, improves the prospects for the restoration of the economy, the head of the group of advisors to the National Bank governor, Valeriy Lytvytsky, told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Oct. 11 - The European Union warned President Viktor Yanukovych he would have to free former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to be sure of sealing agreements on association and free trade next month, Reuters reported Friday.

KIEV, Oct. 11 – Parliament has voted to settle issues linked to fighting the illegal seizure of companies.

A total of 241 out of 393 lawmakers registered in the session hall on Thursday supported the amendments.