MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow has received «clear signals» from US and European companies about their intention to continue work in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
«We have received quite clear signals that European and American companies are set to continue work with Russian partners. Time is ripe now to use non-political formats and pay attention to small and medium-sized business who generally demonstrate a less politicized approach," Medvedev said at a meeting with trade envoys.
Russia aims to maintain mutually beneficial cooperation with Europe, which remains a major trading partner for Russia.
“The Ukrainian crisis has really complicated our relationship with Europe. Sometimes these events are called a dividing range between the past and the future of Europe. We [Russia] do not think so. We continue focusing on mutually beneficial cooperation. EU will remain our main trading partner for a long time,” Medvedev said.
The United States and European Union accuse Russia of meddling with Ukraine’s internal affairs, and have already introduced targeted sanctions against a number of Russian officials and companies. The Western sanctions have been extending gradually since their initial introduction after Russia’s reunification with Crimea.
After the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine on July 17, Washington has been pushing the EU to implement further sanctions against Moscow.
The European Commission is expected to introduce a new package of sanctions targeting Russia’s financial and defense sectors on July 24.
Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called the language of sanctions counterproductive and said these measures would have a boomerang effect on European economy.
