KIEV, April 27 – President Petro Poroshenko has reaffirmed Kiev's commitment to the Minsk agreements.

"I am very hopeful that very soon we will see the Ukrainian territories freed, but I stress once again: Ukraine has strictly abided by the Minsk agreements, so the Ukrainian armed forces will not go on the offensive first," Poroshenko said during a visit to the Shyroky Lan training base in the Mykolaiv region, his press office said on Saturday.

CHERNOBYL, April 27 – Construction a new safe confinement (NSC Shelter) at Chernobyl will be completed as scheduled, said deputy Chernobyl head Viktor Zalizetsky.

KIEV, April 27 – The National Bank of Ukraine has worsened its forecast for the fall in Ukrainian GDP in 2015 to 7.5% compared to its forecast of 5.5% announced in February due to a poorer economic situation in January-February than was expected, NBU Head Valeriya Gontareva said.

KIEV, April 27 – President Petro Poroshenko has said he would not put up with the attempts of oligarchs to destabilize situation in the country.

In remarks apparently targeted at Ukraine's richest person, Rinat Akhmetov, Poroshenko said that the recent demonstrations by coalminers were orchestrated by “oligarchs“ and said he would send law enforcement after them.

KIEV, April 27 - Top European Union officials met the Ukrainian leadership on Monday for talks on deepening trade links and efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, but worsening violence in the separatist-minded east clouded the summit, Reuters reported.

KIEV, April 24 - The International Monetary Fund plans on April 30 to decide on whether to approve a loan to Ukraine, IMF official representative Gerry Rice said.

KIEV, April 24 – Parliamentary Speaker and acting President Oleksandr Turchynov urged Russia to stop using blackmail and to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine's borders.

KIEV, April 25 – Switzerland is expected to send a team of financial experts to Kiev to help Ukrainian investigators locate accounts controlled by friends of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

LONDON, April 27 - Britain will on Tuesday host international talks aimed at recovering Ukrainian assets believed to have been looted under the regime of deposed president Viktor Yanukovych, The Telegraph reported.

KIEV, April 27 - Pro-Russian rebels paraded European monitors they are holding in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, freeing one but saying they had no plans to release other seven as the United States and Europe prepared new sanctions against Moscow, Reuters reported.