EU should be first one to lift sanctions - Prikhodko

MOSCOW - The European Union should take the first step towards mutual lifting of the sanctions, which hinder full-fledged cooperation with Russia, Sergei Prikhodko, first deputy head of the Russian government administration, said.

"The sanctions spiral unwound by Brussels is not good for Russia or the European Union. There is a need to work on lifting the mutual restrictions, but the first step in this direction should be taken by the one who 'started all this,' that is, the EU," Prikhodko told reporters at a briefing before the Russian prime minister's official visit to Bulgaria.

It will be "very difficult" to restore the mutual trust damaged by the sanctions, he said.

Brussels' sanctions remain one of the main factors that prevent full-fledged cooperation between Russia and the EU states, including in the trade-economic sphere. Prikhodko said European businesses could make much more money on the Russian market without the sanctions.