Russia will help the European Union overcome its economic problems, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.
'We'll render [the EU] our assistance. We have a quota in the International Monetary Fund and correspondingly we'll honor all our obligations as an IMF member and are ready to invest the required funds to support the European economy and the eurozone," Medvedev said at a news conference after the Russia-EU summit in Brussels.
Medvedev said Russia was very interested in the EU remaining a powerful political and economic force because Russia and Europe had deep civilization and mutually beneficial ties.
"That is why a united Europe is very important for Russia. For us it is important that European states should come to agreement, show restraint and courage in this uneasy situation and preserve all that has been done over the past decades and ultimately preserve one of the most important reserve currencies, I mean the euro," Medvedev said.
The European Union accounts for about 50 percent of Russia’s foreign trade while Russia is the EU’s third largest trading partner after the United States and China. Also, the euro holds a 41-percent share in Russia’s international reserves.
Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Wednesday that Russia was open to any requests from the European Union for assistance in fighting Europe’s sovereign debt crisis but can help finance regional anti-crisis measures through the mechanism of the International Monetary Fund.
