KIEV, Sept. 5 – Ukraine has offered Saudi Arabia its cooperation in the fight against piracy, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov announced at a meeting with Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf.

Azarov noted that Ukraine was concerned about numerous cases of piracy in the western part of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

SOPOT (Poland), Sept. 5 - French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has reportedly stated that if the EU and Ukraine sign the association agreement, its ratification would depend on the acquittal of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

MOSCOW, Sept. 5 – Russia is ready to defend its position in the gas dispute with Ukraine at any international court, according to its top diplomat.

"The presidential press secretary said by his order that we were prepared to defend our position at any international court," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

KIEV, Sept. 5 – Prime Minister Mykola Azarov assured the European Union on Monday that Ukraine will continue uninterrupted supplies of Russian natural gas via its territory even as it tries to renegotiate its gas agreement with Moscow.

BEIJING, Sept. 3 - The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing for Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov's visit to China, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych announced at a meeting with Vice-Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Dejiang in Beijing on Friday.

KIEV, Sept. 3 - Ukrainian national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrayiny has halted exports of Ukrainian gas to Poland, Polish state oil and gas company PGNiG said in a statement.

The exports were halted due to a new law in Ukraine that requires Naftogaz to sell all the gas it produces on the domestic market.

KIEV, Sept. 3 - Ukraine may take measures that would effectively cancel its 10-year natural gas agreement with Russia if Moscow refuses to renegotiate it, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Friday.

KIEV, Sept. 5 – The government plans to expand corporate tax cuts and to slap a real estate tax on large homes as part of amassive tax system overhaul that may make Ukraine a tax heaven.

KIEV, Sept. 2 – Chinese President Hu Jintao has said he is confident that President Viktor Yanukovych's visit to China will bring the two countries to a higher level of bilateral relations.

BEIJING, Sept. 3 - Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Wen Jiabao has stressed the importance of economic cooperation with Ukraine.