UPDATE: Kremlin spokesman: Russia wants good relations with EU

(Changes headline, adds comment in paragraphs 1-3)

MOSCOW, Jun 27 (PRIME) -- Russia plans to build good relations with the whole E.U. and its member countries separately regardless of the Brexit vote results, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

“Of course, whether the U.K. will be in the E.U. or not, a bilateral change in our relations cannot be ruled out. We traditionally want to repair our relations, to bring them back to life, to resume cooperation in the fields in which it was absolutely stopped by the Britons. And the E.U. certainly remains the main trade and economic partner of Russia,” he said.

“That is why Russia will focus on building good, mutually profitable relations with the E.U., in spite of all disagreements, as well as with E.U. member countries individually.”

Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council, the parliament’s upper house, said that the current E.U. sanctions against Russia will be kept until 2017 at most, and will be discussed after that.

“The sanctions will survive until the end of the year at most, I believe. And will be discussed after that,” she said. “We must move away from radical points of view, we need a good will and movement towards each other.”

Earlier in June, the permanent representatives of the E.U. countries agreed to prolong the sanctions against Russia for six months.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to their worse since the Cold War due to a military conflict in Ukraine. The West introduced sanctions against some Russian individuals and firms and further against the energy and banking sectors. In response, Russia limited food imports from some countries, including the U.S., the E.U., Canada, Australia, and Norway.

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