KIEV, June 10 – Ukraine's foreign trade deficit may expand to more than $20 billion in 2008 following the 4% appreciation of the hryvnia against the U.S. dollar in May, Valeriy Heyets, director of the Economic Forecast Institute, said.

"Since 2006, the [foreign] trade balance has started going deeper into negative territory, and over the four months this year it hit more than minus $6 billion,” Heyets said. “With this tendency going on, we could see [a deficit of] over $20 billion by the end of the year."