KIEV, Dec. 26 - The 2009 gas agreements with Russia are enslaving and confirm that Russia has no desire to transition to an "equal relationship," Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on the television program Shuster Live on Friday evening.

KIEV, Dec. 26 - Russia's desire to maintain its advantages under the current gas contracts with Ukraine is the main obstacle to concluding the gas negotiations, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

KIEV, Dec. 23 – Parliament has passed a law which regulates gold mining by the National Bank of Ukraine and the law on relaxation of taxation on sales of precious metals to the central bank.

Draft laws No. 9440 and 9441 were supported by 266 and 265 lawmakers respectively on Thursday.

MOSCOW, Dec. 26 - Ukraine and Russia will renew gas talks on Jan. 15 as they strive to avert a standoff over pricing, Russia's Gazprom said on Monday, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Dec. 24 - The Prosecutor General's Office has detained former Head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration and Deputy Head of the State Customs Service Viktor Bondar on abuse charges.

"The former governor of Dnipropetrovsk region and deputy head of the State Customs Service Bondar was today called in for questioning and arrested on abuse charges," Prosecutor General Oleksandr Pshonka said at a press conference in Kiev.

KIEV, Dec. 23 – Parliament has adopted the country's state budget for 2011 with a deficit of UAH 38.84 billion, or 3.1% of projected GDP.

A total of 279 lawmakers out of the 298 registered in the parliament's session hall on Thursday voted for the law.

KIEV, Dec. 26 - Yuriy Lutsenko, an opposition leader and an ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, was arrested on Sunday, a move that sent shockwaves among Ukraine’s opposition groups.

KIEV, Dec. 26 - The Ukrainian government on Wednesday approved state guarantees for Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the national oil and gas company, to allay concerns among foreign investors holding $500 million in the company’s eurobonds.

KIEV, Dec. 26 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Wednesday for the first time detailed her controversial plan for payments of billions of hryvnias in failed Soviet-era bank debts, suggesting the payments will be moderate.

KIEV, Dec. 26 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s government approved a revised draft 2008 budget on Wednesday, steeply cutting spending on business development projects and significantly boosting spending on social needs.