Key Dates to Watch
Donetsk, Kyiv, Brussels
Oct.18, Donetsk
President Viktor Yanukovych is to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Donetsk. The talks are part of Ukraine's latest attempt to get lower prices for Russian natural gas imports vital to the nation's economy.
Oct.18, Kyiv
Parliament reconvenes to consider changes to the 1962 Soviet criminal code that still governs Ukraine today. Talks center on decriminalization of economic crimes and political decisions of the type that Tymoshenko was convicted of committing.
Oct.20, Brussels
Yanukovych is tentatively scheduled to visit Brussels, the administrative capital of the 27-nation European Union, for more talks on a free-trade agreement. However, some in Europe want to boycott meetings with Yanukovych until Tymoshenko is set free. Others want to conclude free-trade negotiations, but withhold ratification of an agreement.
Oct.24, Kyiv
A delegation of the International Monetary Fund is scheduled to arrive in Kyiv in an attempt by Ukrainian authorities to restart an urgently needed lending program. The IMF froze loans in March, after disbursing $3.4 billion of a possible $15.6 billion, because Ukraine's government did not meet budget austerity requirements.
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