KIEV, Sept. 23 - The high price of Russian natural gas could force Ukraine to halt practically all purchases, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

"We are reducing purchases of Russian gas, we have to engage in diversification, buy this gas on other markets, and we have to reduce gas consumption and switch boiler houses from gas to coal.

YALTA, Sept. 23 – The possibility of supplying European goods to Russia and Customs Union countries under the guise of Ukrainian products after the creation of a free trade area between Ukraine and the EU is hypothetical, and Ukraine can guarantee that this will not happen, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

MOSCOW, Sept. 23 - Russia issued a new warning to Ukraine on Monday that Moscow could respond with protectionist barriers if its former Soviet ally joins a free trade pact with the European Union, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Sept. 21 – President Viktor Yanukovych has called on Polish companies to join in the construction of a terminal for the delivery and re-gasification of liquefied natural gas in Ukraine.

KIEV, Sept. 21 – Former Federal Chancellor of Austria Alfred Gusenbauer and former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi have said that cooperation is the right decision to take in relations between Ukraine and the European Union.

The politicians expressed this opinion in an article entitled "Ukraine Shows its Readiness to Cooperate with the EU. Europe Should be Proud of It," published in Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

KIEV, Sept. 21 – Ukraine will appeal against the ruling of Kiev Economic Court on the payment of over UAH 3.1 billion (around $390 million) of the debts of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine Corporation to the Russian Defense Ministry by the Ukrainian government.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 – Sending shockwaves through the Ukrainian government, the U.S. Senate on Saturday approved resolution demanding the release of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and calling for visa restrictions against those responsible for her imprisonment.

KIEV, Sept. 21 – Prominent businessman, philanthropist, and the founder of the EastOne investment advisory group, Victor Pinchuk, and famous boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko lead the top 10 list of Ukrainians influential in the world according to the Institute of World Policy, taking 1st and 2nd spots, respectively.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – Austria wants to deepen economic relations with Ukraine, Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer said at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych in New York on Wednesday, the press office of the Ukrainian president reported.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – The Prosecutor General's Office has started a pre-trial investigation into a criminal case on the activities of Ukrainian peacekeepers in Kosovo, Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Kluban said.