"We see that the Asian countries, European countries do not introduce additional restrictions and we see that… the general attitude not only of businesses, but also of politicians is toward the weakening of sanctions,” Dmitriev told reporters.
"We believe that not only business, but also politicians understand that it is necessary to have a positive dialogue with Russia and that sanctions should be removed," the RDIF head added.
Relations between Russia and the West soured in 2014 after the overwhelming majority of the Crimean population voted to leave Ukraine for Russia in a March referendum. The peninsula’s reunification with Russia, as well as Moscow’s alleged meddling in the Ukrainian crisis, prompted the United States, the European Union and their allies to impose sanctions on both Russia and the breakaway republic.