ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin urged at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2016) on Friday to restore relations between Russia and the European Union.
The Russian president said at a SPIEF-2016 plenary session that Russia was ready to meet Europe halfway but this was not one-way traffic.
"As the recent meetings with representatives of the German and French business circles have shown, European business wants and is ready to cooperate with our country," Putin said.
"Politicians need to meet business halfway, display wisdom, far sightedness and flexibility. We need to return trust in Russian-European relations and restore the level of interaction," the Russian leader said.
Russia was not the initiator of a rupture of relations with the EU, Putin said.
"But, as the saying goes, we harbor no grudge and are ready to meet our partners halfway but this cannot be one-way street," Putin said.
European countries could join the project of the Greater Eurasian partnership, Putin said.
As the Russian leader noted, some European partners "are talking about uneasy decisions for Europe during talks on establishing the trans-Atlantic partnership."
"It is evident that Europe has huge potential and the stake on only one regional association clearly narrows its possibilities. In this situation, it is difficult to maintain a balance and keep the room for a maneuver advantageous for Europe," Putin said.