The Kremlin said it would have to wait and see how relations between Russia and any new German government would develop after the election victory on Sunday for Friedrich Merz's conservatives, Reuters reports.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that there could be areas of cooperation of mutual interest.
69-year-old Merz is on course to become Germany's next chancellor after his CDU/CSU bloc came in first place and the far-right Alternative for Germany party climbed to a historic second place after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's tripartite alliance.
Asked if Merz's arrival would allow Russia and Germany to build more constructive relations like those under former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Peskov replied:
"Every time (when there is a new government) we want to hope for a more sober approach to reality, a more sober approach to what could be a matter of mutual interest (between Russia and Germany), mutual benefit".
But let's see how it will be in reality, he concluded.
According to the American think tank Brookings Institution, Russia supplied about 65% of the gas powering homes and industry in Germany before Moscow's war in Ukraine began three years ago.
Since then, Germany has drastically reduced its dependence on Russian gas, and ties between the countries have been further strained because of Berlin's military aid to Ukraine.