KIEV, June 19 – Ukraine is planning to spend $250 million on gas imported in June and $1 billion on gas supplied in July, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said at a council on gas payments in Kiev on Friday.

According to the gas contracts signed between Naftogaz Ukrayiny and Russia's Gazprom in January 2009, the price of gas imported to Ukraine in the second quarter of this year dropped to $271 per 1,000 cubic meters, from $360 per 1,000 cubic meters in the first quarter.

KIEV, June 19 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny is likely to receive $698 million for gas transit in the first half of 2009 - 38.1% less than in the same period of last year, the Ukrainian president's office said.

KIEV, June 20 – Ukraine needs to secure approval from the International Monetary Fund to increase the capital of Naftogaz Ukrayiny, a state energy company struggling to pay for Russian natural gas imports, an official said.

KIEV, June 21 – President Viktor Yushchenko’s party, Our Ukraine, will hold a meeting June 27 to officially declare its opposition to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s government, a move that may trigger a major government reshuffle.

KIEV, June 18 – The foreign ministry is investigating the circumstances of the arrest of a Ukrainian aircraft in Nigeria, ministry spokesman Vasyl Kyrylych said.

"Following reports in the media, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry ordered Ukraine's embassy in Nigeria to quickly clarify the circumstances of the Ukrainian plane's arrest and take all measures to defend the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens and settle the situation," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

KIEV, June 19 - The volume of gas in underground storage facilities in Ukraine dwindled by 8.47 billion cubic meters or 31% during the first five months of 2009 to 18.82 billion cubic meters, the Ukrainian president's office said.

KIEV, June 21 ??“ Representatives of professional associations, non-governmental organizations and companies operating in the IT and telecommunications sector have accused the National Communications Regulatory Commission of Ukraine (NCRC) of unprofessional conduct.

KIEV, June 21 ??“ The Economy Ministry forecasts a 3% rise in Ukraine's industrial output from January to June 2006 year-over-year, whereas its previous forecast for the period was 2%.

KIEV, June 21 ??“ Turkmenistan warned it may stop selling natural gas to Russia within two months unless Russia agrees to a 50% price hike in development that could undermine stability of gas supplies to Europe.

KIEV, June 21 ??“ Leaders of three pro-Western parties on Wednesday signed a 103-page coalition agreement ending three months of difficult talks as the groups seek to form the new government in Ukraine.