BERLIN, January 15. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called Russia a European country and expressed hope that the EU would achieve a balance in relations with Moscow, the government said in a statement.

"If we manage to bring peace and freedom back to Europe, if we finally find a balance in relations with our largest European neighbor, I'm talking about Russia, if peace reigns, if freedom is ensured - if we succeed in all this, then the EU, then we in Germany will pass this next test and be able to look to the future with confidence after 2026," he told business officials during a New Year reception in Halle.

However, Merz said his comment was not because he was in the east of Germany. "I say this wherever I am in Germany," he said, adding that "Russia is a European country."