Arseny Yatseniuk

Ukraine's parliament voted on Dec. 24 to give the government the right to impose a trade embargo against Russia, which said  last week that it would suspend a free trade zone with Ukraine from Jan. 1.

The law, supported by 291 of parliament's 420 lawmakers, will come into force when it has been signed by the president. 

Ukraine's central bank on Wednesday banned all foreign exchange purchases by companies through banks for the rest of the week in a bid to stem a sharp fall in the national currency, the hryvnia.

Russia may restart gas supply to Ukraine as soon as next week if Kiev pays $2.2 billion worth of debt and pre-payments, gas export monopoly Gazprom  said on Friday, under a deal that is also vital to ensure deliveries to Europe.
   

Pro-Europe parties secured a big win in an election in Ukraine, a partial vote count showed on Oct. 27, with President Petro Poroshenko hailing people's support for his plan to end a separatist war and pursue democratic reforms sought by the West.