KIEV, Sept. 16 - Ukraine's cabinet has increased its 2008 balance of trade deficit forecast from $15.416 billion to $17.713 billion.

"As a whole, goods and services exports in 2008 are expected at 38.2% [earlier, the government forecasted a 30.2% rise], imports by 47.7% [37.4%]. The deficit of the balance of foreign trade would be $17.7 billion," reads the document.