ODESSA. May 26 – Ukraine is grateful to Turkey for its support against Russian aggression and will strive to strengthen bilateral cooperation with this country, President Petro Poroshenko said.

KIEV, May 27 - Leaders of the Group of Seven Industrialized Nations - the United States, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan - condemn and do not recognize the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea by Russia, according to a communiqué signed following a G7 summit in Italy’s Taormina.

KHARKIV, May 26 – Problems identified with BTR-4s armored personnel carriers delivered under the so-called "Iraq contract" in 2011-2013 were connected with the improper maintenance of the vehicles by the Iraqi side. The problems were solved quickly by work teams dispatched to fix the problems, research staff member of the Kharkiv-based Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau Andriy Bohach said.

KIEV, May 28 - The International Monetary Fund said Friday it will only release a new tranche payment to Ukraine once parliament approves a long-stalled pension system overhaul and land privatization legislation, AFP reported.

KIEV, May 26 – Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, said his country is working to rebuild the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, but "will never supply assembly parts for the weapons of the aggressor."

KIEV, May 27 – The situation in the economy and financial system will raise the issue of cutting the refinancing rate of the National Bank of Ukraine to relax the access of companies to credit resources, President Petro Poroshenko said.

KIEV, May 28 - Ukraine on Thursday confirmed it was raising $1 billion by selling new bonds backed by the U.S. government and said the issue should contribute to cutting its international debt servicing costs, Reuters reported.

KIEV, May 26 – Ukraine's presidential election has received the endorsement of GUAM, an international regional organization which includes four former Soviet republics: Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

KIEV, May 26 - Petro Poroshenko has confirmed his intention to deliver on his promise to sell his business assets after becoming president.

"As regards my business, a contract with an investment company will be drafted immediately after that to search for buyers," he told reporters at his campaign headquarters in the early hours of Monday.

BERLIN, May 28 - Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk called on Russia Wednesday to block the border to Ukraine to stop Russian militants from entering the country where they join rebel forces and fight the government’s troops.