Russia and Turkey may soon sign an agreement lifting bilateral visa requirements, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva will visit Russia on May 13-14, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Ukraine has not as yet agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the size of a loan to patch up its economy under a new partnership program, the country's finance minister said on Wednesday.

Leading members of the Kyrgyz interim government have been accused of accepting bribes to help the ousted leader and his family escape the country, the 24.kg news agency said on Wednesday.

Trade between Russia and Turkey may recover from last year's 40% decline in 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday after talks with his Turkish counterpart.

Russian-Turkish trade stood at $19.6 billion in 2009, down almost 40% from 2008. In January and February however trade grew about 30% year-on-year, and is still on the rise.

"Despite last year's crisis, our trade turnover has recovered quite quickly... If the growth continues, then at the end of this year we are likely to get the same figures as in 2008," he said.

Medvedev also said he saw $100 billion in trade turnover with Turkey as realistic.

"The ambitious goal to triple trade turnover mentioned by my counterpart President [Abdullah] Gul, is quite achievable," the Russian president said.

RIA Novosti

Ukrainian prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against former Ukrainian premier and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko over an alleged misuse of state funds, the UNIAN news agency said.

The lower house of the Kazakh parliament unilaterally voted on Wednesday to grant President Nursultan Nazarbayev the title of "Leader of the Nation" and give him a wide range of privileges after the expiration of his presidential term.

The Mozyr oil refinery in Belarus has started refining a first shipment of oil imported from Venezuela, a spokesman for the refinery said.