Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, and his team have admitted their helplessness in fighting corruption. While Yanukovych complained in his state-of-the-nation address that corrupt officials torpedoed his reform efforts last year, his chief financial inspector accused unnamed members of the current executive of corruption in a... MORE

The Prosecutor-General’s Office on March 21 launched an investigation against Leonid Kuchma, suspecting him of involvement in the murder of the opposition journalist Georgy Gongadze in 2000, Deputy Prosecutor-General Renat Kuzmin announced on March 22. The Prosecutor-General’s Office on March 24 officially charged Kuchma, president... MORE

Ukraine finds it increasingly difficult to balance its relations between the European Union and Russia, which are viewed in Kyiv as equally important trading partners. While talks on political association and free trade with the EU slowed somewhat recently, Moscow is stepping up its pressure... MORE

On March 25, the Rivne oblast’s economic court ruled that the state of Ukraine, not Russia’s Transneft, is the rightful owner of the “Samara [Russia] – West” oil product pipeline’s section on Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s State Prosecutor's Office had brought this case before the Rivne... MORE

Oil delivered by Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) is moving through Ukraine’s Odessa-Brody pipeline at the moment, a portion of it heading for Belarus (BELTA, March 24). SOCAR expects to deliver oil to Poland also through the Odessa-Brody pipeline. The line runs from the Pivdenny... MORE

On March 11, the government privatization agency State Property Fund (SPF) signed documents selling 92.8 percent of the fixed-line operator Ukrtelecom shares to ESU, the Ukrainian daughter of the Austrian company EPIC (European Privatization and Investment Corporation). This is the biggest privatization deal since 2005,... MORE

It is clear that problems with democracy and slow reforms in Ukraine under President Viktor Yanukovych have not prevented the European Union from developing closer ties with Kyiv. German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, and EU chief free trade negotiator, Philippe Cuisson, confirmed recently that the... MORE

The mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed its work in Kyiv on February 14, but more difficult talks are ahead. Ukraine still has to prove that it qualifies for the next $1.6 billion IMF loan tranche. The government of President Viktor Yanukovych like... MORE

Ukraine is once again in difficult talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a much needed third tranche of the IMF’s $15 billion stand-by loan which was approved last July. This is another test for the ability of Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, to... MORE

Russia’s ambassador to Moldova, Valery Kuzmin, insinuated via Chisinau media on February 1 that Moscow can grant Moldova a price discount on Russian gas, as it granted one to Ukraine, in return for military basing rights.Kuzmin said: “Moldovan authorities must execute the conditions of the... MORE