"For the last five years we have been observing how the whole country is going around the Constitution, which had been approved hastily at the end of 2004," President Victor Yanukovich said.

The Ukrainian parliament ousted the government of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, dealing a final blow to the leadership of the pro-Western Orange Revolution and leaving her to lead the opposition in parliament.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's pro-Western "Orange" coalition dissolved on Tuesday, losing its majority in parliament and paving the way for Ukraine's new president to consolidate his power.

Viktor Yanukovych was inaugurated as Ukrainian president on Thursday, six years after massive protests over vote fraud got his first election victory tossed out. This time the pro-Russian leader promised to make Ukraine a European nation outside of any bloc.

Ukraine's presidential election results giving the victory to Russia-friendly Viktor Yanukovych were suspended on Wednesday pending review of his rival's appeal.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - apparently defeated by a narrow margin in last week's presidential vote - ended six days of silence on Saturday by saying the election had been rigged and she would challenge the result in court.

Ukrainians vote on Sunday in the first presidential polls since 2004 US-sponsored Orange Revolution, an election that may steer the former Soviet Republic from its pro-Western course and strengthen bilateral ties with Russia.

Five years after the Orange Revolution inspired hopes for broad economic and political reforms, many Ukrainian voters seem to expect little from Sunday's presidential election.

Snowstorms and icy winds continued to sweep across UK and most of the European mainland as the freeze triggered transport chaos, cancellation of hundreds of flights in the continent ahead of Christmas holidays, as the death toll from the cold jumped to 80.

Washington supports Ukraine's bid to join NATO and the former Soviet republic is free to choose its own foreign policy alliances regardless of what other nations want, US Vice President Joe Biden told Ukraine's president on Tuesday.

Government has signed a pact with Ukraine to upgrade Indian Air Force's fleet of An-32 transport aircraft, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Monday.

Two miners were killed and 12 reported missing on Monday in an accident in a coal mine in eastern Ukraine, the country's emergency situations ministry said.

Russia and the European Union failed to agree on Friday on measures to prevent another cutoff of gas supplies to Europe.

Georgian and Ukrainian officials were seeking assurances from the Obama administration that they would not lose out as the United States seeks greater cooperation from Russia.

Ukraine agreed to clean up corruption in its gas export industry in return for Western investment in a deal with the EU, which sparked a sharp warning from its powerful neighbour, Russia.

A group of around 20 masked and camouflaged agents from the Ukrainian security service raided the headquarters of the state gas company Naftogaz, the company said.

A merchant ship carrying tanks and weapons held by pirates off the coast of Somalia since September has been freed, Ukraine's president announced on Thursday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday called for a summit of states hit by the gas crisis as Russia accused Ukraine of holding Europe "hostage" by blocking efforts to resume gas supplies.

Putin has ordered state gas giant Gazprom to continue with a 15 percent cut in daily shipments of European gas through Ukraine, to compensate for what he says is Ukraine's diversion of gas.

The news came after Russia accused Ukraine Monday of refusal to ship additional volumes of Russian gas via its pipelines as the deepening dispute over gas transit tariffs and pricing began to threaten supplies to European customers.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered gas giant Gazprom immediately to cut gas pumped via Ukraine to Europe in response to Ukraine's alleged siphoning from pipelines.

Official representatives of European Union member states accredited at the EU management bodies will hold an extraordinary meeting in Brussels on Monday to discus situation with the Russian gas supplies to the EU via the Ukrainian territory.

Kiev has warned the European Union the bloc could face "serious problems" within 10 days with Russian gas deliveries transiting Ukraine, after Moscow cut off all gas supplies to its neighbour.

The EU's Czech presidency demanded the "immediate resumption" of full gas supplies to EU member states, following drops recorded in Poland and Hungary due to Russia's dispute with Ukraine.

The United States has said it was "concerned" about Russia's decision to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and its likely repercussions in Europe, and encouraged both sides to resolve their dispute in a businesslike manner.