KIEV, July 27 - President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday his country was not fighting a civil war in its east but was fighting "foreign mercenaries,“ hailing soldiers for forcing pro-Russian rebels out of several towns and cities, Reuters reported.

DONETSK, July 27 - Fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine where a Malaysian airliner was downed further complicated an investigation on Sunday as Europe and the United States prepared economic sanctions on Russia over the conflict, Reuters reported.

KIEV, July 26 – The International Monetary Fund is preparing to hold annual consultations with Ukraine under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement (obligations regarding exchange arrangements), according to William Murray, a deputy spokesman for the IMF External Relations Department.

KIEV, July 28 – A photographer and three members of the feminist movement Femen known for their bare-breasted protests were illegally held in police custody overnight after being abducted by unknown assailants during Vladimir Putin’s visit to Ukraine, AFP reported.

KIEV, July 27 – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday urged Ukraine to join forces with former fellow Soviet state Russia, saying Russians and Ukrainians are "one people."

KIEV, July 25 – Ukraine is interested in further integration with Customs Union member states, Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said.

KIEV, July 27 – The pegging of the hryvnia to the dollar and the large share of payments in dollars in Ukraine's foreign trade may have grave consequences for Ukraine if U.S. politicians fail to reach an agreement on raising the country's debt ceiling, as the United States will have to default on its obligations, Deputy Prime Minister and Social Policy Minister Serhiy Tyhypko said.

KIEV, July 28 - Ukraine and Russia are drifting towards another wave of confrontation as their two governments have failed to make progress in talks over lowering natural gas prices, an analyst said Thursday.

KIEV, July 28 — The criminal case against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko seemed about to collapse Thursday after key witnesses backed her account, while President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration had suddenly exposed itself as a party orchestrating the trial.

KIEV, July 28 – One person was killed and eight injured on Wednesday when a bomb exploded at a Ukrainian church controlled by the Moscow Patriarchate in Zaporizhia, local authorities reported.