KIEV, April 2 ??“ Parliament, led by the Regions Party, on Monday defied President Viktor Yushchenko??™s decree dismissing the legislation and approved a number of controversial resolutions that may block the early elections.

KIEV, April 2 ??“ Ukraine??™s Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko on Monday backed President Viktor Yushchenko??™s decision to dismiss Parliament and said armed forces may get involved if the crisis escalates sharply and threatens the people.

KIEV, April 2 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko on Monday dismissed Parliament and ordered early election for May 27 after consultations with major political groups had failed to resolve severe political crisis in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON, April 2 - U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez will visit Kiev on April 4-5 to meet senior government officials to discuss World Trade Organization, accession efforts, the U.S. Department of Commerce's press service said in a press release.

SIMFEROPOL, April 2 ??“ Chornomornaftogaz, Naftogaz Ukrainy and Russia's Gazprom signed a protocol on jointly exploiting the Pallasa field, which is located on the shelf of the Black Sea.

ODESSA, April 2 ??“ Ukraine is planning to build a highway from Odesa to Reni, which will cost about $2 billion, Transport Minister Mykola Rudkovsky said Monday. He said the highway will be built on the concession conditions.

KIEV, April 1 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko said his party, Our Ukraine, should make ???serious conclusions??? after its poor performance at the March 26 general election and should be more active in reaching out to voters.

KIEV, April 1 ??“ An ultra leftist and pro-Russian group led by Natalia Vitrenko launched a massive protest in Kiev Saturday after preliminary ballot counting had showed the group had failed to make it to Parliament.

KIEV, April 1 ??“ President Yushchenko on Saturday urged parties seeking to form a ruling coalition to agree on a future economic policy roadmap before deciding on who will take which post in the Cabinet.

WARSAW, March 31 ??“ The European Union should join a project of building a natural gas pipeline linking Central Asian gas deposits with Ukraine and bypassing Russia, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Andriy Veselovsky said.