MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Western sanctions imposed on Russia will be relaxed or fully lifted in 2017, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV Channel.

"We believe sanctions will be actually minimal in the next year and they will be largely scaled down or lifted," Dmitriev said. 

The Russian Direct Investment Fund and its partners raised $5 bln into joint funds this year: 

"We also raised $5 bln into our joint funds in this year alone," Dmitriev has noted.