Ukraine

KIEV, Dec 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian and Ukrainian gas companies have reached a deal to ensure the flow of Russian natural gas through Ukraine to Europe for the next five years, the two sides said.

Ukraine is set to collect more than €6.25 billion in gas transit fees by 2024 under the new deal with Gazprom, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The court proceedings examining criminal responsibility in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which will start in March next year, will hopefully bring closure for the victim’s next-of-kin, families and relatives, says Ukrainian Ambassador to Malaysia Olexander Nechytaylo.

The envoy believes that the new development will help bring justice for all the 298 people on board, including 15 crew members, who perished.

KIEV, December 29. /TASS/: The Kiev Court of Appeal ruled to release on personal recognizance former officers of the Berkut riot police unit, charged with a violent crackdown on protestors on Kiev’s Maidan Square in early 2014.

"The court resolved to change the measure of pretrial restraint from arrest to [release on] personal recognizance," the judge announced.

Nationalists, who were present in the court hall, started chanting "Shame!" when the decision was announced.

KIEV, December 29. /TASS/: Ukrainian and Russian representatives started a process of signing gas transit agreements in Vienna, Ukraine’s Justice Minister Denis Malyuska announced on Sunday, posting a photo of the document-signing ceremony on his Facebook page.

"The process of signing is not yet finished," he said, commenting on the event. Head of the Ukrainian Gas Transport System Operator Sergei Makogon also posted a photo on his Facebook page, saying "the process has started.".

GORLOVKA, December 29. /TASS/: The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) has received 63 people in a prisoner swap with Kiev and handed over 25 persons, the republic’s envoy in the humanitarian subgroup of the Contact Group on settlement in eastern Ukraine, head of the LPR’s group on the prisoner exchange Olga Kobtseva announced on Sunday.

"We have held the swap. We handed over 25 and took back 63 people," she told journalists. Nine people refused to participate in the swap and remained in Ukraine, she added.

KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine started a full prisoner swap on Sunday, driving all remaining detainees in the five-year conflict to a handover point and starting to unload them.

The swap, at a checkpoint near the industrial town of Horlivka in the Donetsk region, was expected see Ukraine hand over 87 separatists in exchange for 55 pro-government Ukrainians, with armed troops from both sides looking on.

DONETSK, December 28. /TASS/: A prisoner swap between the self-proclaimed Donbass republics and Kiev will take place on December 29 under the "all identified for all identified" formula, Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) envoy to the Contact Group for settlement in eastern Ukraine Daria Morozova informed on Saturday. She added that Kiev is expected to hand over 87 people for Donbass’ 55.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — In a back corner of the swank H Bar in Houston, near a huge photo of Brigitte Bardot with a dangling cigarette and a deck of cards, two Russian-speaking men offered a Ukrainian gas executive what seemed like an outrageous business proposal.

Andrew Favorov, the No. 2 at Ukraine’s state-run gas company Naftogaz, says he sat on a red leather bench seat and listened wide-eyed as the men boasted of their connections to President Donald Trump and proposed a deal to sell large quantities of liquified natural gas from Texas to Ukraine.

KIEV, December 22. /TASS/: The agreement reached by Ukraine and Russia on gas transit will help keep jobs, while the national budget will receive income, leader of the Ukrainian Opposition Platform - For Life party Yuri Boyko said at the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on Saturday.

KIEV, December 21. /TASS/: Kiev hopes to sign gas contracts before January 1, Ministry of Energy of Ukraine Alexey Orzhel said on Saturday.

"Good news, we should have enough time [to sign contracts with Gazprom] before January 1," he said.

According to him, "as a result of complex and difficult negotiations, a package understanding has been reached." "There will be gas transit," Orzhel said.

The minister added, "The negotiations were constructive." "Everything that was formalized by the Stockholm arbitration will be paid," the minister said.