Russia is waiting to hear from the European Commission about the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak before considering lifting a ban on EU fresh vegetable import, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Friday.

Putin said at a meeting in Sochi that "we expect our European partners to name the source for infection."

"I will check the reasons for the ban given by sanitary doctors. However, we will wait for any information to this effect from our colleagues in the European Commission," Putin said.

Putin said he was surprised by the EU reaction to the Russian ban.

EU envoy to Russia Fernando Valenzuela warned Russia earlier Friday that its ban contradicts principles of the World Trade Organization, the trade group that Russia hopes to soon join.

"I don't know what spirit this (the ban) contradicts," Putin said. "We cannot poison our people for the sake of some spirit."

Russia on Thursday banned the import of all fresh vegetables from all EU member states because of an outbreak of the E.coli bacteria that apparently originated in Germany.

Xinhua