Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin wants to edge Russia towards a rapprochement with the West after a stand-off over Ukraine brought relations between the two sides to their lowest since the Cold War, former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky said on Thursday.

"Maybe sanctions won't be canceled formally but they will soften because Western political leaders face pressure from their businesses," Khodorkovsky said during a question and answer session at Reuters in London.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zdhannikov, editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

REUTERS