Russia's prime minister said Moscow was ready to restore relations with European countries, Sputnik news agency reported.

Russia is ready for work to improve relations with European countries, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday.

"Our relations with the European Union are probably at a rather difficult point, but we are of course ready to restore the momentum of relations with all states," Medvedev said in Moscow.

Since 2014, relations between Russia and the European Union and the United States, deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russia on the pretext of its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, which Moscow has repeatedly denied. In response to the restrictive measures, Russia has imposed a food embargo on some products originating in countries that have targeted it with sanctions.

Source: MENA