German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas attends a news conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias (not pictured) following their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Athens, Greece, September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Costas Baltas

BERLIN (Reuters) - Neither the European Union nor Britain will gain from Brexit, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, stressing the importance of minimising the damage that would result from Britain’s departure from the bloc.

“There will be no winner from Brexit, on neither side,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper in an interview, extracts from which were published on Thursday. “We have always said we greatly regret Britain’s departure.”

He said the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier needed members’ full help in achieving a sustainable result, six months ahead of the scheduled final exit.