"Russia is and remains an indispensable strategic partner if we want to secure peace in Europe," Steinmeier said. "But it's not only us who need Russia -- Russia also needs us."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to meet Medvedev in Moscow on Saturday, and Steinmeier said the new Kremlin chief has expressed a similar desire to create a new partnership with the West.

"Let us take the (new) president at his word," Steinmeier added. "Let us accept his partnership proposition. Russia's transformation -- it's as much in his interest as it is in ours."

Steinmeier stressed the need for the European Union to develop closer ties with (former Soviet) countries in central Asia and the Caucasus as well as the Ukraine and Belarus -- providing the latter agrees to work on its human rights record.

He also floated the idea of enshrining a new charter with Russia, focused on democracy and peace.

"The Cold War is today definitively consigned to history," Steinmeier said.

Tensions over issues such as the siting of an American anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic could more easily be managed through such an accord, he suggested.

"The European Union and Russia should, as soon as possible, enter negotiations on a new agreement covering cooperation and partnership," he said.

Talks could also tackle issues as diverse as global warming and the teaching of history, he added.

Movement by Ukraine "in the right direction" offers a roadmap, he stated.

Regarding Kiev's hopes of NATO accession, Steinmeier said that for all Berlin supports Ukraine's candidacy, "the process should not undermine efforts to anchor a (lasting) European stability."

"Hasty decisions do no-one any good -- not even the Ukraine," he added.

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