Berlin Responsible for Worsening Ties With Moscow, Should Be More Positive

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The German government is responsible for worsening of bilateral relations with Russia and should demonstrate to Moscow the willingness to improve them, a German parliamentarian from Die Linke party said Friday.

"I am of the opinion that the German government bears much responsibility for that situation [in relations between Moscow and Berlin] and we need to give signals that we want to get out of this," Wolfgang Gehrcke told reporters during his visit to Moscow.

He said that the German government should suggest to its European partners that the sanctions should not be extended and Moscow would certainly note such steps.

"These signals would be seen and appreciated in Russia," Gehrcke added.

Relations between Russia and the European Union member states, including Germany, deteriorated in 2014, when Brussels joined Washington in accusing Moscow of fueling the Ukrainian crisis and imposed several rounds of sanctions as a punitive measure.

The Russian authorities have refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive. In response to the Western restrictive measures, in August 2014, Russia announced a one-year food embargo on some products originating in states that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been extended for another year.

The EU economic sanctions against certain sectors of Russian economy, prolonged several times since their introduction, are due to expire on July 31, 2016.