KIEV, Feb. 25 - The Ukrainian ballistic missile early warning stations (BMEWS) in Mukacheve and Sevastopol are completing their alert mission for Russia as of Feb. 26 to begin operating as Ukrainian space control systems (SCS).

FRANKFURT, Feb. 26 - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has lowered its long-term and short-term counterparty credit ratings on Alfa-Bank Ukraine, JSC Kredobank, and Ukrsotsbank OJSC to 'CCC+/C' from 'B/B', the ratings agency said in a statement.

KIEV, Feb. 26 - Ukraine had a current account surplus of $500 million in January, tentative figures show, the acting head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Anatoly Shapovalov said at a briefing on Wednesday.

He said the first current account surplus in recent years was due to a steeper decline in imports than in exports.

KIEV, Feb. 26 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny, Ukraine’s national oil and gas company, has accumulated enough cash to make the next payment to Russia’s Gazprom for February natural gas supplies, a Naftogaz spokesman said Thursday.

KIEV, Feb. 26 – Ukraine will seek to reduce imports of natural gas from Russia this year as economic contraction and industrial production slump cut demand, a top aide to President Viktor Yushchenko said Thursday.

KIEV, Feb. 26 – Key political leaders will hold a meeting on Friday to try to agree on anti-crisis measures that would Ukraine to resume borrowing from the International Monetary Fund and avert default.

KIEV, Feb. 26 – President Viktor Yushchenko within weeks may obtain the right to dismiss Parliament unless the legislature moves fast to end its paralysis, Justice Minister Mykola Onyshchuk said Tuesday.

KIEV, Feb. 26 - President Viktor Yushchenko in a telegram on Tuesday told Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to make “urgent” payment of natural gas debt owed to Russian gas giant Gazprom.

KIEV, Feb. 26 - Russian gas giant Gazprom may cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine on Wednesday as the country has failed to clear its outstanding gas debt, the office of President Viktor Yushchenko announced Tuesday.

KIEV, Feb. 26 ??“ Ukraine is still interested in resuming talks on creating a Ukrainian-Russian gas transportation consortium with the participation of Germany, Ukrainian Premier Viktor Yanukovych has told Deutsche Welle.