BREAKING NEWS

NATO chief welcomes troop withdrawal in eastern Ukraine

KIEV - NATO welcomes the withdrawal of Ukrainian and Russian-backed rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, urging Russia to implement the Minsk peace agreements, Interfax Ukraine news agency reported.

Ukraine and the rebel forces started the disengagement process on Tuesday in Zolote, a town in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk.

Ukrainian forces have been fighting the rebels in the Donbass region in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people. Both sides have agreed to modest troop withdrawals, but these have been disrupted many times by ceasefire violations.