BRUSSELS, March 20 – The European Council doesn't recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea, reads European Council Conclusions released in Brussels on Thursday evening.

KIEV, March 20 – The deployment of an EU police mission or a UN peacekeeping force to Ukraine is the exclusive prerogative of the Ukrainian state, President Petro Poroshenko stated.

KIEV, March 20- Most residents of the southeastern regions of Ukraine do not see Donbas outside of Ukraine, shows a poll conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology on February 24-28.

BRUSSELS, March 22 - The West should consider using all its tools to help Ukraine, including sending defensive weapons, NATO's top military commander said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

BRUSSELS, March 21 - Ukraine is confident Russia will have to sharply lower the price it charges Kiev for gas as increased imports from the European Union have greatly reduced Ukraine's reliance on supplies from Gazprom, Ukraine's energy minister said on Saturday.

KIEV, March 20 - The Russian ruble will be used in settlements between Naftogaz Ukrayiny and Gazprom if the situation on the forex market is good for Ukraine, allowing it to gain an exchange-rate premium, Kiev has said.

BRUSSELS, March 20 – European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is planning to meet with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as part of the nuclear security summit, which will be held in Seoul (South Korea) on March 26-27.

KIEV, March 22 - Ukrainian soldiers shot dead one man and detained another who were trying to steal weapons from a military base in the city of Kharkiv, one of the venues for the Euro 2012 football championship, Reuters reported Thursday, citing police.

One soldier defending the radar base was killed and two others were injured after the two brothers, wearing masks and camouflaged uniforms, attacked troops with knives at around 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), police said in a statement.

KIEV, March 22 - Ukraine and Russia will continue natural gas talks late May after Vladimir Putin is sworn in to the presidency following his recent election victory, President Viktor Yanukovych said Thursday.

KIEV, March 22 – The National Bank of Ukraine on Thursday cut its key interest rate, responding to slowing consumer inflation and seeking to boost economic expansion as the country faces financial challenges.