Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the right-wing parties that improved their position in the European Parliament as a result of the recent European election were not pro-Russian but rather thought that better ties with Moscow were in their national interests.
"You have mentioned the victory, the rise of pro-Russian forces in the European Parliament but these are not pro-Russian forces. They are pro-German, pro-Hungarian, pro-Italian... These are forces that believe that establishing relations with Russia is in their national interests," Putin said at at a meeting with heads of international news agencies at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), answering a corresponding question, Urdu Point reports.
Putin added that Russia would make responsive steps toward the European Parliament, including lifting economic sanctions against the bloc, if it showed desire to cooperate.
