KIEV, Jan. 18 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych will face each other in a runoff after scoring the best results in the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, official data show.

The last barrier on the way to Ukraine's joining the World Trade Organization.

KIEV, Jan. 17 – Vitaliy Hayduk, the billionaire who was recently nominated for the post of deputy prime minister for energy and industry, plans to sell his stake in a steel empire, his partner said.

KIEV, Jan. 17 - The Ukrainian government on Thursday fired Ihor Voronin, the architect of a controversial natural gas agreement between Ukraine and Russia, as deputy chairman of Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the national oil and gas company.

KIEV, Jan. 16 - U.S. Senator Richard Lugar views Ukraine as a key element of Europe's energy security.

Energy routes running through Ukraine make it a core element of guaranteeing energy security in many European countries, Lugar told a news conference in Kiev on Wednesday.

KIEV, Jan. 16 - NATO is considering using Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan heavy transport aircraft belonging to Ukrainian and Russian companies in its operations on a permanent basis, Executive Director of Antonov Airlines Kostiantyn Lushakov said on Tuesday.

KIEV, Jan. 16 ??“ Ukraine ranks 125th out of 161 countries in the rating of economic freedom published annually by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, the Heritage Foundation's official Web site has reported.

KIEV, Jan. 17 ??“ Ukraine??™s economic growth will probably slow down to 4.5% on the year, while inflation will be at 10.7%, which is higher than has been forecast by the government, a World Bank economist said Wednesday.

KIEV, Jan. 17 ??“ Adam Martyniuk, Parliament??™s deputy speaker and a member of the pro-government coalition, admitted Wednesday some clauses of the recently approved law reducing powers of President Viktor Yushchenko may be rejected by the Constitutional Court.

KIEV, Jan. 17 ??“ Yevhen Kushnariov, a prominent lawmaker and an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, died on Wednesday of gunshot wounds apparently received as a result of a hunting incident, officials said.