Published in UNIAN

Today Vice Prime Minister for European and International Integration Hryhoriy Nemyrya met with Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations Deputy Secretary General Marek Belka, according to the government’s press-office.

The sides discussed cooperation between Ukraine and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), in particular, in the sphere of energy saving, industrial and transport spheres.

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Published in UNIAN

Today First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Gediminas Kirkilas.

During the meeting issues on cooperation in transport, energy and scientific spheres have been discussed as well as prospects of development of trade-economic relations, according to the government’s press-office.

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Published in ForUm

Today in Kyiv 14th session of intergovernmental Ukrainian-Belarus commission on trade-economic cooperation takes place. First vice Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Belarus Olexander Turchynov and Vladimir Semashko chair the session, the ForUm’s correspondent informs.

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Published in ForUm

Today First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Olexander Turchynov met with Vice President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Nigel Carter, Cabinet press office reported.

During the meeting the sides discussed issues on mutual cooperation and organization of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the EBRD, scheduled for May in Kyiv this year.

In the context of discussion Nigel Carter noted that 10 years ago the Meeting of the Board of Governors of the EBRD had also took place in Kyiv and during this period “really positive changes occurred”.

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Published in ForUm

Yesterday Vice Prime Minister for European and International Integration Hryhoriy Nemyrya held a meeting with Chairman of the Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee of the Republic of Poland Krzysztof Lisek, Cabinet press service reported.

The sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular, in the sphere of European integration of Ukraine.

“It is extremely pleasant that after an election pause the interparliamentary dialogue of Ukraine and Poland is stirring up,” Hryhoriy Nemyrya said.

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Published in ForUm

For today Ukraine has no debts to gas mediators. First vice PM Olexander Turchynov said today at the Cabinet session, the ForUm’s correspondent informs.
“Those debts we inherited for 2006-2007 are paid off,” Turchynov said.

Turchynov demonstrated order of money transfer to “UkrGazEnergo”. Turchynov hopes these funds will be transferred to accounts of “Gazprom”.

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Published in UNIAN

First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said that Ukraine completely repaid debt before Russia for the natural gas, consumed in 2006-2007.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, O. Turchynov said this at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers today.

First Vice Prime Minister underlined that Ukraine repaid debt by “ready money” and showed to the members of the government and journalists the financial orders, certified by bank seals.

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Published in RosBusinessConsulting

Naftogaz of Ukraine has today paid out its debt for natural gas supplied in 2007, the Ukrainian government's press office quoted First Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Turchinov as saying on Tuesday. He expressed regret that a sizable amount of Ukrainian money went to pay off debts to intermediaries.

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Published in Reuters

Ukraine will continue to discuss gas issues with Russia following last week's meeting between the two country's prime ministers, Ukraine's deputy Prime Minister Hryhory Nemyrya said.

Ukraine's prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko held meetings last week in Moscow with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and Russian energy company Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) but the two countries have failed to clarify details of the agreement.

"It was a very productive visit," Nemyrya told a roundtable of academics late on Monday, adding: "the problem is so serious, who can realistically think it will take one visit to fix?"

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Published in The Moscow Times / Reuters

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday rebuffed Russian accusations over huge missing gas volumes and blamed Moscow-imposed middlemen in a sign of new frictions over gas supply terms with Russia.

On Thursday, Gazprom told Tymoshenko at talks in Moscow it believed that 4 billion cubic meters had gone missing and were now considered Ukrainian debt. Gazprom earlier this month threatened to reduce supplies to Ukraine over payment arrears of $1.5 billion.

But Tymoshenko told her Cabinet on Friday it was two intermediaries -- RosUkrEnergo, which supplies gas to Ukraine, and UkrGasEnergo, which distributes the gas on the Ukrainian domestic market -- which were responsible for the missing gas.

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Published in SteelGuru

It is reported that Russian gas giant Gazprom last week made new demands against Ukraine, insisting the country must return 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas may posing a major challenge to Ukraine and may deplete its natural gas reserves.

Ms Yulia Tymoshenko prime minister of Ukraine, who spent five hours in talks with Mr Alexei Miller CEO of Gazprom last week at Boryspil airport after arriving from Moscow, said the new demands had surprised her government.

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Published in ForUm

On Friday, February 22, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko met with representatives of the Japanese Business Federation Keidanren.

Yulia Tymoshenko welcomed the first joint session of the Committee for Economic Cooperation between Ukraine and Japan, which took place on Friday, and expressed her hope that it would provide a new impulse to economic relations between Ukraine and Japan, press service of Yulia Tymoshenko informed.

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Published in ForUm

The program “Ukrainian breakthrough” has begun to function. Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko stated at the Cabinet’s sitting on Friday, ForUm’s correspondent reports.

Tymoshenko has noted that her government has already started strategic and absolutely professional work. “Today we will have absolutely normal governmental document, which will give us the bases to move forward and to approve the priority direction for every organ of the executive power, which enters the system of coordination of our Ministries,” she said.

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Published in Kommersant

Ukraine and Russia are negotiating the contract for 25 years to 30 years, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said, when commenting on Moscow gas talks of February 20 to 21.

We have talked over strategic agreements that should emerge between NAK Neftegaz and Gazprom or Gazprom subsidiaries for 25 years to 30 years without establishing any additional intermediaries, Tymoshenko said, specifying that the disappearance of intermediaries won’t result in any negative fluctuations in the gas prices in Ukraine.

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Published in NRCU

This was by aired by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko at the Cabinet of Ministers' meeting today. She called the creation of a free trade zone without any restrictions between Ukraine and Russia as a guideline of her government's work.

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Published in Reuters

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday rebuffed Russian accusations over huge missing gas volumes and blamed Moscow-imposed middlemen in a sign of new frictions over gas supply terms with Russia.

On Thursday, Russian gas exports monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) told Tymoshenko at talks in Moscow it believed that 4 billion cubic metres had gone missing and were now considered Ukrainian debt. Gazprom earlier this month had threatened to reduce supplies to Ukraine over payment arrears of $1.5 billion.

But Tymoshenko told her cabinet on Friday it was two intermediaries -- RosUkrEnergo, which supplies gas to Ukraine, and UkrGasEnergo, which distributes the gas on the Ukrainian domestic market -- which were responsible for the missing gas.

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Published in ForUm

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko declares that within the next few days the Gov’t will formulate a concept of cooperation with Russia in the issues of gas supplies for Ukraine. Cabinet's press office reports.

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Published in ForUm

Today First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksander Turchynov met with members of the Parliamentary Trade Delegation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Cabinet’s press office reports.

The sides discussed issues on cooperation in economic and energy spheres.

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Published in ForUm

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said she had reached a deal with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom over debts owed by Kiev for Russian natural gas, Interfax news agency reported, according to Agence France-Presse.

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Published in RT

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko said the deal reached between the two country's presidents last week will stand, calming fears that she would challenge the agreement. But several details still need to be resolved.

At the start of 2006 Russia and Ukraine reached agreement on supplying gas through RosUkrEnergo, an intermediary that supplied gas to Ukraine. The company also profited by re-exporting it to European countries at higher prices.

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Published from materials in UNIAN and Press Service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said that positive and constructive solutions were found to all problems during talks in Russia.

She announced this to journalists on Wednesday following talks between the Ukrainian and Russian government delegations in Moscow.

“We went over practically all the problems that Ukraine and Russian need to solve today, and I can firmly say that there is not a single problem for which we did not find a positive, constructive and absolutely effective solution,” said Tymoshenko.

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Published in Inform issue #63
See the full issue here.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is to reopen talks aimed at brokering a direct relationship between Naftohaz Ukrainy, Ukraine’s state-run gas company and Gazprom, its Russian counterpart. Last week’s accord was applauded for its proposed removal of RosUkrEnergo, the controversial gas trader that supplies a mix of Russian and Central Asian gas to Ukraine. However, the suggestion that a new joint venture between Naftohaz and Gazprom be established was rejected by the government and will be the subject of further talks.

Delighted by the news to remove RosUkrEnergo, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko last week described it as “a great victory for the democratic team."

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Published in ForUm

February 21-22, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko will be on an official visit to Moscow. The regular sitting of the Ukrainian government is postponed from Wednesday to Friday 22. Advisor of the PM of Ukraine on energy questions Olexander Hudyma stated.

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Published in The Moscow Times

The governments of Ukraine and Russia could sign an energy agreement to avoid the kind of gas disputes that have alarmed Europe over the past two years, a senior Ukrainian official said Friday.

"It's possible that when this meeting takes place, the signing of an intergovernmental agreement will be on the agenda," First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchinov told journalists.

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Published in UNIAN

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a meeting with member of the European Commission for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, according to the government’s press-office.

The Eurointegration prospects of Ukraine have been discussed during the meeting, in particular, within the context of the negotiations on new enhanced agreement with the European Union.

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Published in ForUm

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and International Integration Hryhoriy Nemyrya held a meeting with a delegation of the European Parliament Group “Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe”. Cabinet's press office reports.

During the meeting key issues concerning relations between Ukraine and the EU were discussed. In particular, the matter concerned stirring up negotiations on a new enhanced agreement, beginning of the negotiations on creation of free trade area, expanding and making the EU technical assistance more efficient etc.

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Published in UNIAN

Vice Prime Minister for European and International Integration Hryhoriy Nemyrya held a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Urmas Paet, according to the government’s press-office.

The sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular, in the sphere of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.

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Russia Sets Gas Deal With Ukraine Pact Eliminates Middleman And May Lead to End Of Long-Running Dispute

Published in Wall Street Journal
By Marc Champion and Guy Chazan

In a deal that could mean greater security for Russian gas supplies to the European Union, Russia agreed to eliminate a murky middleman company from its gas trade with Ukraine in exchange for a 50% share of Ukraine's domestic gas market.

The deal could end the long-running dispute between the two countries, as well as concerns in the U.S. and EU that a middleman with opaque ownership and connections was influencing transit pipelines that deliver more than a third of the EU's total gas imports.

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Published in UNIAN

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko believes the gas agreements, reached during the visit of President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko to Moscow, were a victory of all the democratic team.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, she claimed this to a news conference in the Cabinet of Ministers today.

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Published in Forbes

Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchinov told journalists his government has no plans to raise the transit fees it charges OAO Gazprom to ship Russian gas through its pipelines, Interfax reported.

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Published in ForUm

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the USA to Ukraine William Taylor positively estimates the results of negotiations between Presidents of Russia and Ukraine in Moscow.

“I’m pleased with results of the last meeting in Moscow,” he said.

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Published in Wall Street Journal / AP

Russian and Ukrainian leaders on Tuesday agreed to settle a dispute over Ukraine's gas debt, avoiding a threatened cutoff in supplies that had rattled consumers in the European Union.

Separately, Russian gas monopoly OAO Gazprom and the Ukraine's Naftogaz Ukrainy will form a 50-50 joint venture to import gas to Ukraine for local sales, said Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller. The deal ends years of complicated contracts, which involved a chain of intermediary companies. The latest contract expires at year-end and it isn't clear when the new scheme will come in force.

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Published in International Herald Tribune / AP

Russian and Ukrainian leaders on Tuesday agreed to settle a dispute over Ukraine's gas debt, avoiding a threatened cutoff in supplies that had rattled consumers in the European Union.

"We have agreed that Ukraine will start paying off the debt starting Thursday," Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said at a news conference after four hours of talks at the Kremlin.

The agreement was announced a few minutes after 6 p.m., the time Russia's state-controlled natural gas monopoly Gazprom had set for cutting off Russian gas to Ukraine if the dispute was not settled.

Gazprom said Ukraine owes $1.5 billion for gas. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko acknowledged Monday that Ukraine had a gas debt, but gave a figure of $1.07 billion.

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Published in Forbes

Russia and Ukraine said today they had reached a deal in principle on resolving a dispute over gas debt in which energy giant Gazprom was threatening to cut supplies to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

The comments by Putin after meeting Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko eased fears that a row between the two could force a repeat of 2006, when a pricing dispute between Moscow and Kiev disrupted shipments to Europe.

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Published in RIA Novosti

Moscow and Kiev reached an agreement on gas supplies on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko in Moscow.

Gazprom said on Monday that it had postponed until Tuesday evening its deadline for Ukraine to pay its $1.5 billion natural gas debt, after which the Russian energy giant threatened to begin to reduce supplies.

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Published in UNIAN

At the meeting with ambassadors of the European Union states and the Group of Eight Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko stated that Ukraine would clearly fulfill its obligations on Russian gas transit to Europe, according to the government’s press-office.

The Head of Government reported that Ukraine can get clear of gas debts which had been incurred by the previous government, if “RosUkrEnergo” company “sings contracts with us and sells this gas at the price of 2007 but not of 2008.”

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The European Commission has confirmed receipt of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's letter asking to direct a working group to Ukraine for monitoring reliability of the Russian gas transmission to Europe. The letter will be studied, European Commission Official Representative for Energy Ferran Tarradellas Espuny told.
 
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Published in UNIAN

Ukraine will appeal to international mediators to regulate the gas issue. This was disclosed by Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko at a press conference after the Government sitting. Cabinet's press service reports.

“Taking into consideration pressure put from the direction of “RosUkrEnergo” and “Ukrgaz-Energo” upon Ukraine and taking into account that our coercive structures and high-ranking officials are not able to cope with these companies, the Government of Ukraine made a request to the EU to send officially a group for monitoring reliability and stability of gas transit for the European Union’s needs,” the Head of Government noted.

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Published in Forbes

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom today granted Ukraine a few extra hours to pay off debt or face a cut in supplies as tense talks overshadowed a visit here by
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

Negotiations between the heads of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz will continue in Moscow tomorrow, with a deadline for agreement extended by eight hours, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Agence France-Presse.

'The possible cut in gas supplies has been put back to 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) Tuesday,' Kupriyanov said.

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Published in BBC

Gazprom says it will reduce its gas shipments to Ukraine from 1500 GMT on Tuesday unless a deal is reached about a $1.5bn (£770m) outstanding gas bill.

Gazprom said only gas sent from Russia, which makes up around 25% of Ukraine's total supply, would be affected.

Kiev played down the threats, claiming assurances from Moscow that Russian gas exports would not be affected.

Gazprom has assured the rest of Europe that the dispute will not affect their supplies, which come through Ukraine.

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Published in UNIAN

More than half of the population of Ukraine – some 52.7% - approve the actions of Yulia Tymoshenko at the post of the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, these are the results of the poll, carried out by FOM – Ukraina Company from January 25 to February 2, 2008.

According to the poll, some 33.6% of respondents do not trust to Yu.Tymoshenko, some 13.8% of respondents could not answer the question.

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Published in NRCU

Yet, the problem will be settled, First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov said at a news briefing. "We will hold talks on removal of mediators from gas supply patterns, and on transfer to direct contracts," he emphasized.

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Published in Eurasia Daily Monitor
By Taras Kuzio

On February 5 Ukraine was admitted to the World Trade Organization. That achievement will facilitate Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s efforts to attract foreign investment. Kicking off that campaign on January 24 she held a two-hour meeting in Kyiv with 250 foreign investors. Then on January 28-29 Tymoshenko met with EU and NATO officials in Brussels.

While in Brussels Tymoshenko addressed the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament; both have strongly backed Ukraine’s EU membership aspirations since the Orange Revolution. In addition, Tymoshenko’s Fatherland Party became an associate member of the European Parliament’s center-right European People’s Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED) political group in January. President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine, the other half of the orange parliamentary coalition, is already an associate member of the block.

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Published in ForUm

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko has congratulated members of Cabinet and all Ukrainians on accession to the WTO. She said that at today's Cabinet meeting.

Tymoshenko noted that it is a historical event for the country and that her team made efforts toward this.

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Published in Financial Times
By Roman Olearchyk in Kiev and Frances Williams in Geneva

After 14 gruelling years of negotiations, the World Trade Organisation yesterday gave the green light for Ukraine to join the 151member body, a key step in Kiev's effort to reduce Moscow's grip on the ex-Soviet economy and move it further towards the European Union and the west.

In a sign of the importance accorded to WTO membership, Victor Yushchenko, Ukraine's president, travelled to Geneva to sign the accession documents in person. Ukraine will formally join the world trade watchdog once parliament has ratified the membership deal, which it must normally do within six months.

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Published in UNIAN

The General Council of the World Trade Organization has approved of adopting Ukraine as a WTO member at its session in Geneva on Tuesday.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, in particular, Chilean Ambassador Mario Matus, who chairs the WTO General Council session and was also the chairman of the working group on the Ukraine`s WTO accession, put for voting the decision on approving the report of the working group and the draft protocol on Ukraine’s accession to WTO.

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Published in NRCU

The poll was carried out by the "Ukrainian Democratic Circle" on order of the institute of politics.

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Published in UNIAN

Sixteen foreign ministers of member-countries of the European Union and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization have confirmed their participation in the first meeting of the EU and BSEC foreign ministers to be held in Kyiv on February 14, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vasyl Kyrylych said at a news briefing, Cabinet press service reported.

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Published in UNIAN

The signing ceremony of the protocol on Ukraine’s joining WTO was fixed for February 5, according to the WTO web site.

The ceremony will be held in Geneva (Switzerland), at a WTO General Council meeting, at 17.15 by Kyiv time.

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Published in Interfax

The talks between the European Union and Ukraine on creating a free trade zone will begin from February 17, 2008, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Hryhory Nemyrya said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

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Published in Interfax

EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana praised Ukraine for progress in domestic reforms.

There is a clear trend in Ukraine, it is progressing, he said in a video-address to the second international conference "New Ukraine in New Europe" in Kyiv on Monday.

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Published in UNIAN

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a meeting with Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of France Michel Barnier and discussed bilateral trade-economic cooperation and European integration of Ukraine, according to the government’s press-office.

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Published in UNIAN

Yesterday Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a meeting with Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of France Michel Barnier and discussed bilateral trade-economic cooperation and European integration of Ukraine, government press service reported.

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