In this file photo taken on May 29, 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron wave upon their arrival at the Versailles Palace, near Paris, ahead of their meeting. (AFP PHOTO)
MOSCOW, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia wants the European Union (EU) to develop and prosper in a stable and predictable manner and wishes to boost bilateral ties with its members, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
Peskov made the remarks when commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's recent statements that Russian President Vladimir Putin is dreaming about "the EU's dismantlement."
"Russia continues to boost bilateral relations with members of this union. Since the EU is Russia's main trade and economic partner, though closely followed by China, we are interested in an evolving, prospering, predictable and stable EU," Peskov was cited as saying by Russia's Tass news agency.
Currently, the EU accounts for almost 45 percent of Russia's foreign trade, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Peskov said that Putin has repeatedly spelled out Russia's standpoint on this issue and that it has not changed at all.
While noting that Russia-EU relations are in a "frozen" condition, Peskov reiterated Russia's willingness to revive ties with the EU.
"Russia, as President Putin said many times, is ready to embark on the path of invigorating and improving relations whenever Brussels says it is ready for that," Peskov said.
Bilateral relations are still developing in certain areas including the energy sector, he said.
Tensions between Russia and the EU have increased since 2014 over Russia's annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, which resulted in Brussels imposing a set of sanctions on Moscow and the latter's retaliating.
