ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) " Italy wants to strengthen its economic presence in Russia and hopes ties between Moscow and the European Union will improve, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Friday. He pointed at Fyodor Dostoevsky writing "The Idiot" in Renzi's native Florence as a reflection of close cultural ties between Russia and Italy. Speaking at Russia's premier economic forum, Renzi said that the fulfillment of the Minsk peace deal for eastern Ukraine is essential for lifting EU sanctions against Russia. Italy was badly hurt when Moscow banned most food imports from the EU in retaliation to the EU sanctions against Russia. Renzi praised the splendors of St. Petersburg, Putin's home city, saying he started the day by jogging through its streets and later visited the Hermitage Museum.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 17, 2016 15:37 UTC