KIEV, Feb. 19 – Ukraine’s jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is suffering from a hernia and any further delay in her proper treatment may result in the need of surgery, her daughter said Friday.

KIEV, Feb. 19 – It is expedient for Ukraine to settle relations with the International Monetary Fund and fulfill the requirements of a memo signed with the IMF regarding a 2009 national budget without a deficit, otherwise the country could face a surge in inflation, according to experts from Ukrainian companies.

KIEV, Feb. 19 - Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrayiny warned on Thursday that increasing debts from power producers and other firms for natural gas supplies jeopardize the company’s ability to pay Gazprom.

KIEV, Feb. 19 – Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko, under pressure from the opposition Regions Party, will face grilling in Parliament on March 3 over the country’s foreign policy, a sign that lawmakers may seek to dismiss him.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 17 – The defense ministers of Ukraine and NATO member states are planning to discuss current reforms and the implementation of an annual national program.

These issues will be considered at a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission at the level of defense ministers, which is to be held as part of an informal meeting of defense ministers in Krakow, Poland, on Feb. 20-21. A commission meeting with Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov will take place early on Friday, Feb. 21, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said at an official press conference in Brussels on Tuesday.

KIEV, Feb. 18 – It is necessary to cut the volume of dispatcher restrictions for the admissible capacity of nuclear power plants (NPPs) and increase the share of nuclear power in total electricity generation, to at least 50%, according to President Viktor Yushchenko.

KIEV, Feb. 19 – Five lawmakers known for their personal loyalty to President Viktor Yushchenko quit the Our Ukraine party on Tuesday, testing the strength of the government coalition, which controls only a slim majority in Parliament.

KIEV, Feb. 19 – The rating of the Regions Party, the largest opposition group, plummeted following the party’s efforts to block Parliament’s work in protest of plans for rapid accession to NATO, an opinion poll shows.

KIEV, Feb. 19 - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will hold natural gas supply talks with Russia on Wednesday “from scratch,” disregarding last week’s agreement between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, a senior government official said Tuesday.

KIEV, Feb. 17 - The U.S. has granted market-economy status to Ukraine, U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary David Sampson announced Friday after talks with Ukrainian officials over trade and investment relations. ???This determination reflects