BRUSSELS, June 21 - The European Union’s Brussels envoys agreed on Tuesday to extend until the end of January the energy, financial and defense sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reported citing diplomatic sources.

KIEV, June 18 - Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy of the European Union Johannes Hahn believes that the EU will be able to provide Ukraine with a first tranche of EUR 600 million as part of the third macro-financial assistance package in a few weeks.

KIEV, June 18 – European Parliament President Martin Schulz is expected to arrive in Kiev in July to sign an agreement on cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament, parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Groysman said.

KIEV, June 19 – Several promising projects have been selected as part of a scientific program to increase Ukraine's defense and security and realization of the projects has begun, National Academy of Science President Borys Paton said.

KIEV, June 19 – Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has called on lawmakers to quickly pass the laws required for the provision of the second tranche of $1.7 billion under the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program to Ukraine, to ensure that the IMF Board can make the decision to provide the funds before July 10.

NEW YORK, June 20 - Ukraine, struggling to reform a shattered economy while restructuring private sector debt and dealing with separatist rebels in its east, expects its first state-owned property sale in the fourth quarter, the economy minister said on Friday.

KIEV, June 19 - Ukraine offered an updated debt restructuring proposal to creditors on Friday, its Finance Minster said, warning that Kiev would halt debt payments if bondholders did not make use of this "last chance" to clinch a deal in coming talks, Reuters reported.

KIEV, June 21 – MP Pavlo Klymets (the Party of Regions) has proposed to Parliament to quadruple the royalty for extraction of natural gas sold to commercial consumers.

KIEV, June 21 – President Viktor Yanukovych’s Regions Party will seek to amend the constitution to officially make Russian the second state language in Ukraine, a senior pro-government lawmaker said Thursday.

KIEV, June 20 – The Prosecutor General's Office is investigating another criminal case into the abuse of power during the conclusion of the gas contracts in 2009.