Russia praised the European Union on Tuesday for taking a "responsible approach" to its conflict with Georgia by refusing to impose sanctions or freeze ties with Moscow.
Leaders from the 27 European Union member states met in Brussels on Monday and threatened to postpone talks with Russia on a new partnership pact if Moscow did not withdraw its troops to pre-conflict positions in Georgia by mid-September.
But the EU summit was unable to reach a consensus on the sanctions that some members, including the Baltic states, had been pushing for, highlighting the bloc's divisions on whether and how best to punish its largest energy supplier.
"There were calls from some states to impose sanctions on Russia and freeze relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. "But the main thing is that ... the majority of EU states showed a responsible approach and confirmed their course towards partnership with Russia, realizing all too well the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation," it added.
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