KIEV, April 22 – Ukraine is ready to start talks on the creation of a free trade area with the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko has said.

KIEV, April 22 - Parliament has given preliminary first-reading approval to wide-ranging increases in export duties and mineral rights fees.

KIEV, April 22 – U.S. President Barack Obama has said that the United States will meet its commitment to help Ukraine in its efforts to overcome the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, the press service of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych reported, citing a letter by the U.S. president to his Ukrainian counterpart.

KIEV, April 25 – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will arrive in Ukraine Tuesday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, and will also try to persuade Kiev to have closer political cooperation with Moscow.

KHARKIV, April 22 – Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Viktor Yanukovych have stressed the need to resume the implementation of inter-regional environmental programs, including programs on the protection and use of the waters of the Siversky Donets river basin.

KIEV, April 23 - The government of Ukraine, thanks to agreements reached with Russia on natural gas price reductions, intends to reduce the budget deficit planned for this year from 6% to 5% of GDP, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

KIEV, April 23 - The government’s plan to skip natural gas price hikes for households this year is a “big mistake” that will be opposed by the International Monetary Fund, Ihor Umanskiy, a former finance minister, said Friday.

Umanskiy reacted to comments by President Viktor Yanukovych that the government will not be hiking gas prices now that Russia has agreed to provide a 30% gas price discount.

KIEV, April 23 - President Viktor Yanukovych on Friday submitted for ratification by Parliament a natural gas agreement with Russia that provides a 30% price discount in exchange for extending stationing of Russian navy in Ukraine.

KIEV, April 25 – Thousands of people from western regions of Ukraine are expected to flock to Kiev on Tuesday for protests following President Viktor Yanukovych’s agreement to extend stationing of the Russian navy in Crimea.

KIEV, April 25 ??“ The Justice Ministry on Wednesday prevented a team of security service agents from getting access to information data that would shed light on alleged corruption at the Constitutional Court.