In a new sign of a thaw in ties between Moscow and Copenhagen, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a new shipping line that Denmark's Maersk will use to link Russia with Latin America, the Moscow Times reported.

      Relations have been chilly because of Denmark's criticism of Russia's handling of the war in Chechnya. Another irritant was Danish support of NATO's eastward expansion.

      Denmark moved to heal the rift by striking a deal with Gazprom in 2006 to buy its gas from the Nord Stream pipeline, which is scheduled to begin operating late next year. Contacts intensified after Rasmussen became prime minister in April, and he has met Putin three times in the four months since November.