KIEV, Jan. 27 – The National Bank of Ukraine has lowered its forecast for the surplus of Ukraine's consolidated balance of payment for 2017 to $1.1 billion compared to the preliminary forecast of $1.2 billion issued in October 2016, while for 2018 it was improved from $3.8 billion to $4 billion.

KIEV, Jan. 30 - The Ukrainian cabinet has approved an agreement with the Russian government on joint efforts towards the construction of a passage across the Kerch Strait, acting Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Vilkul said.

KIEV, Jan. 30 - The Visegrad Group, an alliance of four Central European countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) aimed at promoting European integration and cooperation, has expressed its concern about the use of force in Ukraine during mass protests.

KIEV, Jan. 29 - The British branch of Transparency International, in a report released on Tuesday included Ukraine in the group of countries with high levels of corruption in the defense sector.

KIEV, Jan. 29 - Shell and Nadra Yuzovska LLC have been released from environmental taxes, fees for special water use, land payments, customs fees, rental fees for gas production, markups on the current gas tariff and fees for obligatory pension insurance for the development of Yuzovske deposit (Kharkiv and Donetsk regions).

KIEV, Jan. 29 - Ukraine will need new steps towards fiscal consolidation, as well as changes in the exchange rate and tariff policies to achieve progress in talks with the International Monetary Fund, IMF Deputy Executive Director Yuriy Yakusha, representing Ukraine in the fund, said in a letter.

KIEV, Jan. 30 – The growth in Ukraine's real gross domestic product accelerated to 5.2% in 2011 from 4.2% in 2010, the State Statistics Service reported on Monday.

The service said that in the fourth quarter of 2011, the pace of growth, compared to the same period in 2010, slowed to 4.6%, from 6.6% in the third quarter.

DAVOS, Jan. 27 – The steps Ukraine is taking to reduce Russian natural gas consumption by transitioning to alternative gas suppliers, other energy resources and active energy conservation will be much more effective than attempting to lower the price through negotiations, ex-head of Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrayiny Oleksiy Ivchenko said.

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 30 - Russia's Lukoil is maintaining its Odessa Oil Refinery in working order, awaiting a decision from the Ukrainian authorities on improving the economics of oil refining in order to re-launch the refinery, Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov told journalists in Davos on the sidelines of the eighth Ukrainian lunch organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

KIEV, Jan. 27 – Germany's Siemens AG has been seeking to rival a Chinese company for building high-speed trains for a rail link between Kiev and its main international airport, Boryspil.