KIEV, March 7 – People in Ukraine will be able to raise loans under the state program for the purchase of housing at an interest rate of 2-3% per annum in the hryvnia for a period of 10-15 years, starting in May, President Viktor Yanukovych said.

KIEV, March 7 – President Viktor Yanukovych has instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to conduct a gradual recalculation of pensions, and raise the pensions of nine million retirees who retired before 2008 by at least UAH 100 per month, starting from May 1, 2012.

KIEV, March 7 – Prime Minister Mykola Azarov says he is confident that the government will cope with the tasks set by President Viktor Yanukovych on Wednesday.

"Of course, we have a great deal of work to do, Viktor Fedorovych [Yanukovych], but I'm confident that the government will cope with the tasks that you've set," he said at an extended meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday.

KIEV, March 7 – President Viktor Yanukovych has outlined four key strategic areas of social reform, describing them as new social initiatives.

"We must restore public confidence in state policies aimed at improving the lives of citizens. We need to restore the fundamental principle of social justice, eliminating benefits for those who do not need them," he said at an extended meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday dedicated to the new social initiatives of the authorities.

KIEV, March 7 – Ukraine is planning to mount the support arch of the new safe containment structure at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) by the middle of 2015, Head of the Ukrainian State Agency for Management of the Exclusion Zone Volodymyr Kholosha said.

KIEV, March 8 – The Foreign Ministry has said a critical article by European foreign ministers, which was published in The New York Times, shows the EU's readiness to assist to Ukraine on its way towards European integration.

KIEV, March 11 - Ukraine wants to purchase three million cubic meters of gas from German's RWE energy firm per day to reduce its dependence on Russian gas supplies, Ukraine's Dzerkalo Tyzhnia weekly reported on Sunday.

KIEV, March 11 - Newly appointed Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Thursday the government will shortly begin talks with Russia seeking to lower natural gas prices this year.

KIEV, March 11 – Most government appointments were made based on personal loyalty to President Viktor Yanukovych and that is increasing his political clout, a political analyst said Thursday.

KIEV, March 11 – Mykola Azarov, a close ally of President Viktor Yanukovych, on Thursday was appointed prime minister after three groups formed a new coalition backed by 16 defectors from two opposition groups.