German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the European Union may need to rethink its energy partnership with Russia if Moscow continues to violate basic principles.
Merkel said there were good reasons to continue the energy cooperation, noting that within the European Union different countries had different levels of dependency on supplies of Russian natural gas.
However, Merkel said the energy cooperation between the EU and Russia would have to be examined in the medium to long term "if there is a continued violation of principles," referring to respecting national sovereignty.
Merkel said she saw no scope to relax the economic sanctions against Russia, imposed over Moscow's policies on Ukraine.
Merkel was speaking at a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb in Berlin on September 29.