BERLIN, Feb. 8 - At a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Ukraine??™s president Viktor Yushchenko said on Thursday his country was conscious of its responsibility to be a rliable energy partner for Europe.

KIEV, Feb. 8 ??“ Our Ukraine, President Viktor Yushchenko??™s party, and the group led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko work on an agreement to equally share posts in the future government, a newspaper reported Thursday.

KIEV, Feb. 8 ??“ The pro-Russian government coalition on Thursday postponed for at least a week debate and the vote on approving pro-Western diplomat Volodymyr Ohryzko as Ukraine??™s foreign minister, lawmakers said.

KIEV, Feb. 8 - The Ukrainian government plans to enter the foreign debt market by the end of the first half of 2007, the newspaper Economic Izvestia reported Deputy Finance Minister Andrei Kravets as saying.

KIEV, Feb. 8 ??“ Ukraine will hike prices it charges Gazprom for shipping its gas to markets in Europe if RosUkrEnergo, a gas trader controlled by Gazprom, increases prices for gas supplied to Ukraine, an official said.

KIEV, Feb. 8 ??“ The Ukrainian government on Wednesday set a limit on domestic natural gas prices during the next five years to prevent possible abuses by the recently created natural gas joint venture.

KIEV, Feb. 8 ??“ Ukraine indicated Wednesday it was ready to denounce a natural gas agreement with Russia signed last month amid persistent differences in the way Moscow and Kiev believe the agreement should be implemented.

KIEV, Feb. 8 - The Ukrainian government will cancel 508 special permits to exploit mineral resources, issued by the State Natural Resource Committee in violation of the law, Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov said Wednesday.

KIEV, Feb. 8 ??“ The Finance Ministry is satisfied with January inflation and does not see a threat to price stability in February, Finance Minister Viktor Pynzenyk said.

KIEV, Feb. 8 - Ukraine??™s daily domestic natural gas consumption increased by 10% over the past two days after a new wave of cold weather had hit the country, a government official said Wednesday.