KIEV, March 30 – Volodymyr Semynozhenko, a deputy prime minister who recently argued for Ukraine’s joining a union with Russia and Belarus, has come under fire from opposition groups seeking his resignation.

KIEV, March 30 – Dmytro Tabachnyk, a controversial education and science minister, on Tuesday survived a no-confidence motion in Parliament, but opposition groups pledged to continue pressuring for his dismissal.

KIEV, March 30 – Talks between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund over resumption of lending stumbled after the parties failed to reach a compromise on the country’s projected 2010 budget deficit, the finance ministry reported Tuesday.

MOSCOW, March 30 – The draft amendments to the national budget for 2009 proposed by the Ukrainian government do not contain effective anti-crisis proposals and will lead only to stronger inflation pressure, according to Mykola Azarov, the head of the parliamentary committee for finance and banking activities.

MOSCOW, March 30 - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss a recent declaration between Ukraine and the European Union on the modernization of the Ukrainian gas transportation system at their meeting in Berlin on March 31, a Kremlin source told Interfax.

BRUSSELS, March 30 – The interest on credits issued by international financial institutions for the upgrade of the Ukrainian gas transportation system could be LIBOR+1, according to Vyachelsav Knyazhytsky, an advisor on energy issues to the Ukrainian mission to the European Union.

BRUSSELS, March 30 – Metering stations to monitor the volume and quality of Russian gas are to be installed during the upgrade of the entrances to the Ukrainian gas transportation system, Vyachelsav Knyazhytsky, advisor on energy issues of the Ukrainian mission to the European Union, said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He said that the decision to install the stations had been taken by the European Union.

KIEV, March 30 – President Viktor Yushchenko will shortly sign a special decree to speed up modernization of the Ukrainian natural gas pipeline network in line with a declaration approved by the European Union last week.

KIEV, March 30 – The approval of three anti-crisis bills by Parliament on Tuesday may open way for the International Monetary Fund to send a team to Ukraine for talks over a $1.85 billion standby loan installment, a senior official said Monday.

KIEV, March 27 – An open-door day was held at the Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday, with journalists being allowed to visit the offices of top government officials, apart from that of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.