Speaking at the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Vladamir Putin has said Russia does not hold a grudge with the EU and is ready to renew the trust between the EU and Moscow.
He spoke extensively on the Russian economy, playing down the economic consequences of Western sanctions after Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2015. His comments have also come on the same day in which the EU announced increasing sanctions due to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Putin’s plan to renew the trust between the EU does however rely on Russia’s relationship with high profile EU leaders, some of whom have not seen eye to eye with the country. Just a few days ago, the Royal Navy intercepted a Russian submarine Stary Oskol headed for the English Channel, escorting it through British waters. German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande also experienced Russian hostility in relation to solving the Ukraine crisis, failing to come to a solution with the Russian government.
The Russian leader also seems keen to improve relations when it comes to Syria, having said that he approves US proposals to incorporate opposition groups into the President Assad’s current government.
With less than a week to go before the EU referendum, today’s announcement comes at a time when British eyes are firmly fixed on the UK’s relationship with the EU and it’s leaders.