OREANDA-NEWS. The degree of relations between Russia and the United Kingdom is at the freezing point, trust between the countries has been lost, but London remains an important trading partner for Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, March 4.

In an interview with the Russian magazine «Russkaya mysl», the minister noted, that London has maintained a tough anti-Russian course in recent years, consistently increasing sanctions pressure. He recalled, that during the year, the UK imposed it's own sanctions against Russian officials and organizations three times.

Speaking about the trade and economic component of Brexit for Russia, the minister said that Moscow continues to «monitor the relevant dialogue between Brussels and London, which is far from complete, even despite the signing of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement in December 2020». So he, in particular, answered the question of how the UK's exit from the EU can affect the interests of Russia.

He added, that in 2020, the volume of bilateral trade amounted to $26.6 billion, an increase of 53.6% compared to 2019. According to him, Russia is ready to resume the work of relevant bilateral mechanisms, including the Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Investment, as well as the High-level Energy Dialogue.

Lavrov added, that without building a balanced political dialogue, a responsible approach to bilateral relations, it will be impossible to realize the significant potential of cooperation.