MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Many EU countries support the cancellation of sanctions against Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Meshkov said on Thursday.

"I recently heard a statement by one of French political analysts who honestly said that sanctions hit Europe harder than Russia," Meshkov noted.

"Europe is an exporter, and Russia is an importer. So, Russia can find other markets. European exporters are the first to suffer from sanctions. The situation in the European economy is difficult now, and EU farmers are suffering as well, as their products are substituted by Russian food," the diplomat said. "There are more and more voices in these countries calling for stopping this senseless sanctions fuss. There are many such countries," he noted.

"We see French farmers demonstrating. We are confident that our trade turnover would have been more significant with Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, if not for the sanctions. Many European countries do not take Russophobic positions," Meshkov concluded.