KIEV, April 12 – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday offered Ukraine up to $9 billion in annual economic benefits for joining a Moscow-led trade bloc, but Kiev appears to be lukewarm to the idea.

KIEV, April 12 - The Ukrainian government formed in March is repeating mistakes of its predecessors by planning a high budget deficit in 2010, according to Viktor Pinzenyk, former finance minister and the head of the Ukrainian Fund For Reforms Support.

KIEV, April 12 – Talks with the management of international financial institutions will be one of the main priorities during Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's working visit to the United States, the presidential press service reported.

WASHINGTON, April 12 - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Monday urged President Viktor Yanukovych to push for a sound 2010 budget, a key condition for resuming lending from the IMF.

Strauss-Kahn met Yanukovych in Washington to "emphasize the importance of passing a well-grounded 2010 budget to strengthen fiscal sustainability and support the recovery."

WASHINGTON, April 12 - Ukraine announced Monday that it has agreed to give up its highly enriched uranium, at the start of a nuclear nonproliferation summit called by U.S. President Barack Obama.

KIEV, April 10 – Naftogaz Ukrayiny said that the state committee for state material reserve threatens to upset the balance of Ukraine's gas stocks by announcing a tender to sell the rights of claim to 1.318 billion cubic meters of its natural gas.

KIEV, April 11 – Russia left the door open for a possible action against Ukraine for its inability to buy as much natural gas as had been originally planned, a newspaper reported Saturday, citing obtained documents.

KIEV, April 10 – Russia agreed to resume economic talks with Ukraine after Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko assured her Russian counterpart that Gazprom would be able to invest in modernization of Ukrainian gas pipelines.

KIEV, April 12 - Lithuania may import electricity from Ukraine if the Baltic country finds this more economical than expanding its own generating capacity, Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas announced on Thursday.

KIEV, April 12 ??“ Ukrtatnafta, Ukraine??™s largest oil refinery, said the government had owed the company UAH 290 million in non-refunded value added tax, or VAT.