MOSCOW, Dec. 21 - Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and his counterpart over at national Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy Yevhen Bakulin signed a memorandum in Moscow on Tuesday that foresees the creation of a joint venture that would extract methane from coal strata in Ukraine, Gazprom said in a statement.

KIEV, Dec. 22 – Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's order to convert the funds allocated under the Kyoto Protocol into the national currency has caused nearly UAH 1 million worth of damage to the state budget, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General's Office said.

NEW YORK, Dec. 22 – The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday agreed to immediately disburse $1.6 billion to Ukraine after the government promised to go ahead with reforming sectors of the economy.

The release of the money, following a meeting of the IMF’s executive board in Washington, comes amid signs that the government has been facing a financial crunch.

KIEV, Dec. 22 - Ukraine is in talks with Russia seeking to hike the fee it charges for shipments of Russian crude oil via its territory, Bohdan Sokolovskiy, the top energy envoy for President Viktor Yushchenko, said Tuesday.

KIEV, Dec. 22 - Ukraine on Tuesday launched in commercial operation the first hydropower unit at Dnister Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Plant, which is designed to be the biggest such plant in Europe, the government said.

KIEV, Dec. 22 – Ukraine’s cash-strapped government appears to have looted some 6.2 billion hryvnias ($780 million) out of state-controlled accounts in its scramble to stay financially afloat, President Viktor Yushchenko said in a filing asking prosecutors to investigate the case.

KIEV, Dec. 21 – President Viktor Yushchenko is not going to nominate a new candidate for the post of National Bank of Ukraine governor for the time being, presidential secretariat First Deputy Chairman Oleksandr Shlapak said.

KIEV, Dec. 21 – Ukraine in February 2010 could be again included on the FATF blacklist (the Financial Action Task Force), if it does not approve a new basic profile law by December 31, according to a statement posted on the Web site of the State Committee for Financial Monitoring of Ukraine.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 21 – European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek believes that the results of the January presidential election in Ukraine will not affect relations between Kiev and Brussels.

"I believe that Ukraine is in need of the EU's support and assistance, especially during times of crisis. Therefore, I do not think that we can afford in this difficult economic period to slow down our cooperation.

KIEV, Dec. 22 – President Viktor Yushchenko has sharply criticized Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's natural gas policy in interviews with European newspapers, saying her government has been treating financial problems of Naftogaz Ukrayiny irresponsibly.