New Ukraine government approved

Ukraine's parliament approved a new government on Tuesday, bringing to an end political wrangling after elections in October, which returned pro-Western parties.

With the backing of parliament now secured, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk can continue in a position he has held since February.

Last month a parliamentary coalition was formed which included Yatsenyuk's Popular Front party, promising to enact drastic economic and political reform in a country that "needs radical changes and reforms," the prime minister told parliament before Tuesday's Cabinet vote. He added that 2015 would be even more challenging than this year.

New Cabinet ministers include a number of people who received Ukrainian citizenship by presidential decree, including Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, a US citizen who has worked for the US State Department.

Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak have retained their positions in Yatsenyuk's Cabinet.

The new government has vowed to tackle corruption and strengthen Ukraine-Europe ties. The country's leaders have said they would like Ukraine to join the EU and NATO amid an ongoing armed conflict in the east between pro-Russian separatists and Kyiv.

The new Cabinet is formed as Kyiv and Russian-backed rebels agreed on a cease-fire in the east of the country. Cease-fire deals have, however, been reached before, only to be broken.

The crisis with Russia triggered the departure of Ukraine's government in February. Members of the parliament gathered for its first session since then - after elections were held in October - and voted to keep interim Prime Minister Yatsenyuk in his same role.

sb/jm (AP, Reuters)