BERLIN - Germany will always have an interest in talking to Russia, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, even though Moscow's move to ban German non-governmental organisations has dealt a big blow to ties.

"I think that we should always have an interest in staying in talks with Russia," she said, adding, however, that Russia was not a more important partner than Ukraine or Poland.

EU member state Poland and Ukraine are fiercely opposed to the Nord Stream 2 project, now nearing completion, that will pump Russian gas to Germany.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers Editing by Gareth Jones) ((Madeline.Chambers@thomsonreuters.com; +4930220133578;))