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WORLD NEWS Thursday 31 OcTOber 2019

NATO chief lauds Ukraine's weaponry pullback in the east

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The back heavy weapons from if he can manage them,"
head of NATO on Wednes- two areas along the line Putin said at a news confer-
day lauded Ukraine's of contact in the east has ence. "The question is if he
weaponry pullback in the triggered streets protests can deliver what he said in
east, but also called upon in the capital, Kyiv, and public and what he consid-
Russia to step up efforts to other Ukrainian cities where ers necessary to do."
bring peace to the war- many feared the move He added that he wouldn't
torn region. opens the door to conces- judge Zelenskiy's tactics of
NATO Secretary General sions to Russia. engaging in an argument
Jens Stoltenberg told re- The disengagement finally with those who resisted his
porters at the Black Sea began Tuesday after Zel- orders.
port of Odessa on Wednes- enskiy visited the area and "I don't know if he did the
day that NATO supports NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a me- confronted armed veter- right thing as president and
Ukraine's efforts to pull back dia conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at ans who came there to try commander-in-chief to go
heavy weapons in the east. NATO headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. to hamper the troops pull- to the line of contact to
"We welcome all efforts Associated Press back. try to persuade the peo-
to reduce tensions and Asked about the move on ple who refuse to obey his
withdraw forces and to troops and Russia-backed myr Zelenskiy, who was a visit to Hungary, Russian orders," Putin said. "It's not
make sure that we have a separatists has been seen elected in April, made it President Vladimir Putin re- such a difficult thing to sep-
peaceful resolution to the as the final hurdle before a top priority of his presi- mained non-committal, arate the conflicting sides
conflict in eastern Ukraine," much-anticipated peace dency to put an end to the saying it remains to be seen in two villages, but it has
said Stoltenberg, who vis- talks between the leaders conflict that has killed more if Zelenskiy could overcome dragged on for years and
ited four NATO vessels that of Ukraine, Russia, France than 13,000 people and domestic resistance to the it's now clear why — be-
stopped by Odessa during and Germany aimed to displaced more than a mil- move. cause the nationalists don't
their Black Sea patrol. put an end to the deadly lion people. "Mr Zelenskiy doesn't look want to leave and don't
The disengagement of conflict. The commitment of Zelen- like a Ukrainian nationalist, want to let the Ukrainian
Ukrainian government Ukrainian President Volody- skiy's government to pull and it's hard for me to say troops out."q

Denmark allows Russia-Germany gas pipeline

By JAN M. OLSEN the Baltic Sea from Russia companies involved in the
Associated Press to Europe has come un- undersea pipeline.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark der fire from U.S. President While the pipeline is wholly
(AP) — Denmark said Donald Trump's administra- owned by Russian gas gi-
Wednesday that it is giv- tion and several European ant Gazprom, half of the
ing permission for a joint countries, who argue that project's 8 billion euro ($8.9
German-Russian underwa- it could increase Europe's billion) cost is covered by
ter gas pipeline to be laid dependence on Russia as five European energy and
to through its territory, in a a supplier of energy. chemicals companies in-
blow to the United States, The government agency cluding Shell, BASF and EN-
which had fiercely op- said it had granted a permit GIE.
posed the project. to Switzerland-based Nord Germany, Europe's biggest
The decision by the Danish Stream 2 "to construct a economy which is also the
Energy Agency to approve section of the Nord Stream world's biggest importer
the Nord Stream 2 pipe- 2 natural gas pipelines on of natural gas, already re-
line's route is a victory for the Danish continental shelf lies heavily on Russian gas.
the governments of Russia southeast of Bornholm in So far, Chancellor Angela In this Friday, April 9, 2010 file photo a Russian construction
and Germany, which had the Baltic Sea." Merkel has deftly kept the worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 170
staunchly supported it. Washington, which wants pipeline off the table while kms (106 miles) north-west from St. Petersburg, Russia, during a
The plan is to transport nat- to sell its liquefied natural imposing sanctions against ceremony marking the start of Nord Stream pipeline construc-
ural gas about 1,200-kilo- gas to Europe, has threat- Russia for its actions in tion.
meters (746-miles) through ened sanctions against Ukraine.q Associated Press