KIEV, June 15 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Monday she will not let Naftogaz Ukrayiny default on natural gas payments, countering international concerns that Ukraine may fail on the payment next month.

KIEV, June 15 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Monday that the constitutional amendments she discussed with opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych had been doctored by undisclosed people to add controversial content before being leaked to the media.

ST. PETERSBURG, June 14 - Cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian defense enterprises will inevitably be brought to an end if Ukraine joins NATO, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said.

KIEV, June 15 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko, in a special statement Thursday, accused former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of the collapse of 2.5-month talks aimed at forming the new government by three pro-Western groups.

KIEV, June 15 ??“ Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov said Thursday the government should accelerate talks with Turkmenistan to make sure Ukraine has sufficient natural gas supplies in January through March 2007.

KIEV, June 15 ??“ Our Ukraine, a pro-Western group, and the Regions Party, a moderately pro-Russian group, joined forces Thursday in a vote to postpone Parliamentary sessions to give their leaders time to strike a grand coalition agreement.

PARIS, June 14 - Gaz de France is seeking to enter a joint venture with Naftogaz Ukrayiny to build a pipeline moving natural gas from the Central Asia to Europe via Ukraine, an official said Tuesday.

PARIS, June 14 - Arcelor, the world's second biggest steelmaker, has indicated it would bid for Kryvorizhstal, Ukraine's largest steel producer, when the government sells the company later this year, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Tuesday.

KIEV, June 14 - After showing signs of acceleration in early May, Ukraine's economy reversed the trend by the end of the month, recording a major slowdown and dashing the government's hopes for quickly kickstarting economic growth.

KIEV, June 14 ??“ Funds for management of direct investments are ready to invest $500 million in Ukraine's economy, and the figure may double or triple depending on political stability in the country in six to 18 months, Serhiy Riabtsov, the investment director of the Sputnik Group of Russia, said at an investment conference held in Kiev on Tuesday.