KIEV, Dec. 27 – President Viktor Yanukovych believes that Ukraine should be taking active part in the joint activities of the Commonwealth of Independent States, as this complies with the country's national interests.

KIEV, Dec. 27 – The positive balance of interventions of the National Bank of Ukraine since the start of 2010 has reached $1.251 billion, said Valeriy Lytvytsky, the head of the group of advisors to the NBU governor.

KIEV, Dec. 27 – Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, who was arrested on Sunday, will spend two months behind bars as prosecutors prepare two cases against him, according to a Monday court ruling.

KIEV, Dec. 24 – The National Bank of Ukraine does not plan to transfer part of its forex reserves containing assets provided by the International Monetary Fund for the purpose of financing Ukraine's state budget without a corresponding decision by the IMF Executive Board, said Valeriy Lytvysky, the head of the group of advisors to the NBU governor.

KIEV, Dec. 26 – Ukraine sharply reduced imports of Russian natural gas from the middle of December, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said Friday, adding that this may be a sign of “very serious” financial trouble.

KIEV, Dec. 27 - The Ukrainian cabinet has canceled a transfer of a state stake in UkrTatNafta (the Kremenchuk oil refinery in Poltava region) from the state-owned Naftogaz Ukrayiny to the State property Fund.

KIEV, Dec. 27 – Parliament voted overwhelmingly Thursday to postpone for one day debate on the 2008 draft budget to accommodate amendments from opposition groups, a sign that the budget’s approval on Friday was increasingly likely.

KIEV, Dec. 27 – President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday created a special panel that is supposed to rewrite Ukraine’s constitution, seeking to remove provisions he holds responsible for Ukraine’s deep constitutional crisis earlier this year.

MOSCOW, Dec. 25 - It is not in Ukraine's long-term interest to drag out negotiations for Russia's membership in the World Trade Organization if the country itself also wants to make a quick accession to the organization, said Maxim Medvedkov, head of the Russian delegation in negotiations for WTO accession and director of the trade negotiation department of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

KIEV, Dec. 26 - Ukraine has yet to cooperate with the European Union on the principles of reciprocity, but rather their relations are based on "proportional reciprocity," Ukrainian speaker and former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said.