Russia does not plan to 'close window to Europe', Kremlin says

Russia does not plan to "close the window" to Europe, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as its relations with the West linger at new lows over the conflict in Ukraine.

Asked whether difficult relations with Europe were turning the clock back on Peter the Great's efforts to open Russia up to Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We are not planning to close anything."

Peter the Great, a tsar who ruled the Russian Empire from 1682 to 1725, oversaw Russia's transition to a major European power and founded the city of Saint Petersburg, dubbed Russia's "window to Europe".