KIEV, Ukraine — President Viktor Yushchenko has begun his drive to reverse the 2004 constitutional reform. His goals include boosting presidential powers and weakening the legislature.

President Viktor Yushchenko
On February 20 Yushchenko convened the first meeting of the National Constitution Council (NKS), consisting of 97 experts and politicians, to share with them his outline for a new

KIEV, Ukraine — Just two years ago, a company offering mobile phone services in Ukraine’s dynamic, burgeoning telecommunications market stayed competitive simply by offering low rates and cheap services, easily expanding its customer base as the market gained 25 million new subscribers in the past two years.

The BlackBerry is in high demand among Ukraine’s corporate clients.
Now however, as

WASHINGTON, DC — Sen. John McCain has asserted his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin a number of times, going so far as joining with Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., in 2005 to introduce legislation calling on President Bush to suspend Russian’s membership in the Group of Eight.

Oleg Deripaska
That opposition, however, is being called into question by links that have been

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine kicked off trade talks with the European Union on Monday, a step likely to further alienate Russia, which has been fiercely resistant to the pro-Western policies adopted by governments in Kiev and Tbilisi.

President Viktor Yushchenko in a meeting of EU-Black Sea region countries Foreign Ministers.
President Viktor Yushchenko, who is locked in a tense power-sharing

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko Monday said he will soon sign a decree providing incentives for faster development of the country’s stock market.

The document will standardize practices and decrease investment risk, Yushchenko said at an investment conference organized by Renaissance Capital.

“We understand that the stock market has to be improved,” he said. “The scope of

KIEV, Ukraine — The European Union and Ukraine started talks over setting up a free trade area, a move that would push the former Soviet state closer to Europe.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson
“Today we officially started this marathon,” President Viktor Yushchenko said in Kiev after meeting EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. “I hope it will not take us a long time and we will sign

KIEV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian aerospace manufacturer Antonov and the Chinese Aviation Industry Corporation are in the final stages of setting up a joint aircraft design bureau, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.

Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo plane
The aviation-engineering centre will be located in Beijing, China. Once operational it will become Antonov’s third major international

KIEV, Ukraine — Even premiers can be heroes. Viktor Yushchenko, while heading the government, managed to clear pension arrears and stop mass blackouts. His deeds were not forgotten, and when he was running for president in 2004, he made the most of them.

PM Yulia Tymoshenko
During the same race, Viktor Yanukovych, the then prime minister, managed to raise pensions. That noble deed did not help

WASHINGTON, DC — The US Senate urged NATO to put Ukraine and the Republic of Georgia on a track toward membership.

United States Senate
The support for the two countries came in a resolution passed without dissent on Thursday that backed their hopes to join NATO’s membership action plan.

The program helps countries prepare for eventual membership.

The measure is not binding on US policy.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko joined Nordic and Baltic counterparts in Brussels on Sunday to discuss how Ukraine could move closer to the EU and NATO.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko
“This is the first time the ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries and Poland have given the chance to Ukraine to be part of this new format of negotiations.