The European Union still needs Russia as a partner, countries need to maintain trade relations, said the Minister of economy of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel in an interview to the German magazine Focus.

"Europe needs to re-establish a partnership (economic) relations with Russia ", - he said. Gabrielle also noticed that " Europe should not give up on Russia."

"Free trade is much more than an instrument of economic policy," he added.

in connection with the situation in Ukraine, EU countries, USA and Canada in the spring of the past year have introduced against Russia 1st batch of sentences, then it was expanded and became an point restrictive measures against certain sectors of the economy.

in response, Russia has imposed in the last month of summer 2014 retaliatory punishment which has spread to the products of the agricultural sector from the EU, USA, Canada and some other countries that have joined the anti-Russian sanctions policy.

Moscow has stated many times that is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian side officially participates as an intermediary in the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.

sections: Politics