KIEV, March 6 – A key member of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's defense team was stripped of his parliamentary seat on Wednesday after a court ruled he had illegally combined his lawmaker and attorney duties.

KIEV, March 6 – President Viktor Yanukovych said Tuesday Ukraine will further cut imports of Russian natural gas within the next several years if no deal on lower gas prices is reached soon.

KIEV, March 6 – Ukraine will not meet demands from the International Monetary Fund to hike natural gas prices for households by 50% in exchange for resuming its $15.5 billion Standby loan, President Viktor Yanukovych said Tuesday.

KHARKIV, March 3 – Perinatal centers will open in all regions of Ukraine under the "New Life - New Quality of Protection of Maternity and Childhood" national project by the end of 2014, said Iryna Akimova first deputy head of the presidential administration.

KIEV, March 5 - The date of signing a new gas agreement between Ukraine and Russia depends on when the Ukrainian gas transportation system (GTS) will have been appraised, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov said.

KIEV, March 5 – The international reserves of the National Bank of Ukraine in February 2008 expanded by 2.1%, or $669 million, to $32.463 billion, regaining the level registered at the beginning of the year, Valeriy Lytvytsky, the head of the group of advisors to the NBU Governor, told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, March 6 - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, in a letter to President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday, insisted that her government should arrange direct supplies of natural gas from Russia without setting up new joint ventures.

KIEV, March 6 – Parliament resumed normal operation on Thursday after four major political groups signed an agreement ending their standoff seven days before President Viktor Yushchenko could obtain the power to dismiss the legislature.

BRUSSELS, March 5 - The European Union and Ukraine launched negotiations for closer economic and political ties Monday, but the new pact will not offer the former Soviet republic any promise of future membership in the bloc, EU officials said.

KIEV, March 6 - A Pentagon delegation is to visit Ukraine next week to discuss US plans to extend an anti-missile shield into neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic, Defense Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko said.