A combination of file photos show Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) at a news conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Feb. 28, 2017 and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been constantly looking for an external enemy to justify its existence, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.

The Eastern Bloc does not exist any more, the Soviet Union neither, so why NATO is still there, Putin said in a recent interview with American director Oliver Stone.

"I have an impression that in order to justify its existence, NATO needs an external enemy. Thus, there is a constant search for an enemy or some provocations," he said.

The Russian president said that he has not lost hope for changes in Russian-U.S. relations.

Earlier, at the plenary session of the "Business Dialogue between Russia and the United States" at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said Russia is going to continue to engage in dialogue with the new U.S. administration, but political will and mutual effort are needed for any talks to succeed.