KIEV, Dec. 22 – Regions Party MP Rinat Akhmetov, owner of Donetsk-based System Capital Management , Ukraine's largest private company, believes that the Ukrainian authorities should invite experts and consultants and make use take advantage of their advice to overcome the economic crisis in Ukraine as soon as possible.

KIEV, Dec. 22 - Dmytro Firtash, the owner of Nadra Bank, will file a suit with a British court against Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a news anchor on Inter TV channel said before the businessman's interview was broadcast.

"No official in this country has ever answered for his deeds in the last 16 years. I want this to be a showcase and a clear answer to everyone," Firtash said.

KIEV, Dec. 22 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Monday her government will submit to Parliament a draft 2009 budget that contains a 2% deficit, rejecting calls for President Viktor Yushchenko for a deficit-free budget.

KIEV, Dec. 22 – The National Bank of Ukraine on Monday purchased $130 million on the forex market, a move to prop up the hyryvnia and a sign of the extent to which the supply of hard currency has been exceeding demand.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 22 - The European Union called on Russia and Ukraine to continue talks to arrange a gradual transition towards liberalization of natural gas prices and transit fees, a newswire reported Thursday citing an EU official.

KIEV, Dec. 22 - Ukraine has refocused its natural gas talks on Turkmenistan Thursday, apparently trying to arrange extra gas purchases next year to help the country weather a possible move by Russia to cut gas supplies.

KIEV, Dec. 22 - Management at Russian-British oil company TNK-BP noted a negative trend in Ukrainian oil refining due to a lack of import duties on oil products, at a meeting with President Viktor Yushchenko.

KIEV, Dec. 22 ??“ A State Energy Machine Building Corporation is likely to be created in Q1, Industry Minister Volodymyr Shandra says.

KIEV, Dec. 21 ??“ Parliament on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into President Leonid Kuchma??™s alleged efforts to shield from prosecution a top security official whose name had been mentioned in opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko??™s poisoning investigation.

KIEV, Dec. 21 ??“ Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an apparent policy reversal, said Tuesday the Kremlin would work well with Viktor Yushchenko, a pro-Western Ukrainian presidential candidate, considered likely to win the vote Dec. 26.