KIEV, Nov. 29 ??“ Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on Wednesday cleared with President Viktor Yushchenko agenda for the upcoming visit to Washington at the last minute avoiding a scenario that could postpone the visit indefinitely.

MOSCOW, Nov. 29 ??“ Russia, which presses Ukraine for accepting higher natural gas prices, on Tuesday flatly refused to boost annual rent payment it pays for stationing its Black Sea Naval Fleet on the Ukrainian territory.

KIEV, Nov. 29 ??“ Ukraine will need at least three more months of intensive talks in order to secure accession to the World Trade Organization, a senior official at the Economy Ministry said Tuesday.

KIEV, Nov. 29 - Ukraine is in talks with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan over supplies of up to 15 mln metric tons of Caspian Sea crude annually to Europe via Odessa-Brody oil pipeline, President Viktor Yushchenko said.

KIEV, Nov. 29 - A governmental resolution has tentatively set the 2006 budget of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at 8.9 billion hryvnias, or $1.78 billion, Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko said.

KIEV, Nov. 29 - Energy and Fuel Minister Ivan Plachkov will travel to Turkmenistan next month for talks over natural gas prices for 2006, the ministry??™s press service said Tuesday.

LVIV, Nov. 29 - Gunmen killed a former regional governor in western Ukraine on Tuesday in what police said appeared to be a settling of accounts between business interests, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Nov. 27 - Ukraine's Parliament voted overwhelmingly Saturday to invalidate the disputed presidential election in which Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych had been certified the winner.

SEVERODONETSK, Nov. 28 ??“ Russia??™s involvement in Ukraine's growing political crisis was evident Sunday when Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov gave his backing at a meeting in eastern Ukraine to regional officials that seek greater autonomy or even threaten to split.

KIEV, Nov. 28 ??“ Ukraine??™s opposition leaders Sunday gave outgoing President Leonid Kuchma 24 hours to fire Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, reshuffle the Central Electoral Commission and sack separatist governors, or face a major upheaval.