KIEV, Dec. 24 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko spoke by phone with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, the second such call over the past week, to discuss undisclosed “trade” issues, Putin’s press service reported.

KIEV, Dec. 24 – Senior Ukrainian and Russian diplomats were on the phone Thursday to ease tensions after Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov told Reuters that Russia must “attack” Ukraine and Georgia for their pro-Western foreign policy course.

SIMFEROPOL, Dec. 24 – President Viktor Yushchenko has come out against the financing of the national budget's deficit using funds from forex reserves.

"I strongly oppose [the issue]. The government doesn't have the moral right to pick state national serves," the president told the press in Simferopol.

KIEV, Dec. 23 - A senior presidential official has expressed suspicion that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had clinched an underhand deal with U.S. financier George Soros and that this supposed deal was responsible for the recent plunge in the value of the hryvnia.

KIEV, Dec. 24 – Ukraine’s cabinet has said that its top priorities for 2009 are to achieve macroeconomic stabilization and resume economic growth while minimizing the social consequences of the economic crisis.

KIEV, Dec. 24 – Ukraine’s cabinet plans to take foreign loans worth UAH18.8 billion in 2009, more than twice last year’s UAH7.426 billion.

Domestic loans will be increased 6.5 times, to UAH69.937 billion from UAH10.774 billion planned for this year.

KIEV, Dec. 24 – Parliament has imposed an additional 13% temporary duty on all imported goods, apart from a list of goods that will be compiled by the Cabinet of Ministers.

KIEV, Dec. 24 - Ukraine will be able to survive through the middle of April 2009 if Russia suspends natural gas supplies on Jan. 1, 2009 due to debt dispute, Naftogaz Ukrayiny reported Wednesday.

KIEV, Dec. 24 – Ukrainian officials have to sit down for a discussion to see whether the country can avoid default on foreign and domestic debts next year, a top official at President Viktor Yushchenko’s office said Wednesday.

KIEV, Dec. 21 – Ukraine’s political opposition says it has named Regions Party leader Viktor Yanukovych as premier of the shadow government.

The composition of the shadow cabinet was confirmed at a meeting of the opposition on Friday.