MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. There is a need to get rid of politically motivated economic restrictions, President Vladimir Putin said at his annual news conference on Thursday.

"Certainly, it is better to get rid of politically motivated restrictions in the economic activity sphere. This inflicts huge damage to global trade and global economy," the head of state said.

"Say, the United States impose restrictions against China - these are actually sanctions also - this affects the whole global economy; the world’s trade level dropped immediately. If [the policy of sanctions - TASS] continues, it will drop further on," the Russian leader said.

Russia also suffers from problems in relations with other countries, Putin said. "This is because it affects us, the demand for our key export goods," he added.