"We need to reconsider the attitude towards Russia ... We need not a policy of force, but a policy of cooperation between Europe and Russia," he said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.
According to the German MP, sanctions against Russia are "the wrong decision."
“We do not impose standards on all those countries with which we are economically connected.
It is wrong to look from different angles, for example, at Russia and Saudi Arabia.
This cannot be the only criterion, it is always necessary to take into account that economic cooperation can lead to peace, ”he stressed.
Ernst also expressed confidence that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project will be completed despite US sanctions.
He also confirmed that a special fund had been set up in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to help companies circumvent US sanctions.
Earlier, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called for a dialogue with Russia on disarmament from a position of strength.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu compared the statement of his German colleague with the speech of a primary school student.