KIEV, Feb. 25 – The Council of the National Bank of Ukraine has recommended that the central bank's board increase the flexibility of monetary instruments to support government policies.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 25 - The European Union gave Ukraine three months to improve its judicial and election systems and to adopt reforms to qualify for a key free-trade and political association agreement this year.

KIEV, Feb. 24 – The International Monetary Fund's Resident Representative Office in Kiev and the National Bank of Ukraine have refused to confirm acting Finance Ministry Ihor Umansky's statement that an IMF technical mission would arrive in Ukraine soon.

KIEV, Feb. 25 – Investors will be watching closely as Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych seeks to pass a budget, pay about $6 billion in debt this year, and resume a lending program with the International Monetary Fund.

KIEV, Feb. 25 – By one of his first decrees, President Viktor Yanukovych cut his salary by 50% and ordered staff reduced at the presidential office by at least 20%.

KIEV, Feb. 25 – President Viktor Yanukovych will pay his first foreign visit to Brussels on March 1, and only then go to Moscow on March 5, Hanna Herman, a deputy chief of staff, said Thursday.

KIEV, Feb. 25 – Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday was sworn in as Ukraine’s president and pledged to start economic reforms, fight corruption and encourage foreign investments in order to boost the economy.

KIEV, Feb. 23 – The official registered unemployment rate in Ukraine was 3.2% of the working-age population in January, the State Statistics Committee reported.

Unemployment in December was 3%, in November 2.3% and in October 1.9%. Earlier, for three months unemployment remained at the level of 1.8%. In June 2008 the unemployment level was 1.9%, May 2.0%, April 2.2%, March 2.3%, and in January-February 2.4%.

KIEV, Feb. 25 – An international investment conference on the modernization of Ukraine's gas transport system is planned for March 23 in Brussels, a source at the Ukrainian mission to the European Commission told Interfax-Ukraine.

This joint European Commission-Ukraine conference will gather representatives of the European Union, Ukraine and other countries, as well as those of international institutions and the private sector, the source added.

KIEV, Feb. 25 – The National Bank of Ukraine agreed to sell foreign exchange reserves to Naftogaz Ukrayiny to make sure the national energy company pays Russia’s Gazprom for natural gas supplies in February, a top official said Wednesday.

Naftogaz is supposed to pay about $400 million to Gazprom before March 7 for gas supplies in February, according to an agreement signed between Naftogaz and Gazprom on January 19.