KIEV, April 25 – The Infrastructure Ministry has permitted foreign airlines in the period from May 15 to July 15, 2012 to carry out irregular flights to bring football teams, fans, representatives of national football associations, UEFA representatives and reporters to the country without restrictions and without the right to sell air tickets in Ukraine.

KIEV, April 25 - Ukraine's top human rights official Wednesday called for an investigation into allegations that Yulia Tymoshenko was beaten by prison guards, saying the former prime minister's treatment could amount to torture, Reuters reported.

KIEV, April 22 – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko has noted the effectiveness of talks with Russia on the settlement of problems linked to the stationing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

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.