Kremlin says Russia does not plan to ‘close window to Europe’

Russia is not planning to “close the window” in Europe, the Kremlin said today at a time when relations with the West continue to weaken due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Asked whether the difficult relations with Europe affected Peter the Great’s efforts to open Russia to Europe, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We do not plan 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, which has been called Russia’s “window to Europe”.