EU Commissioner Urges End to Sanctions Fatigue Against Russia

European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis has called on the European Union to overcome "sanctions fatigue" and increase economic pressure on Moscow. His remarks followed the EU Council's decision on September 22 to extend sanctions against Russia while simultaneously removing two prominent Russian oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, from the bloc's blacklist.

Dombrovskis acknowledged that nearly five years of conflict have led to a degree of weariness but stressed the EU's commitment to supporting Ukraine and maintaining pressure on Russia for as long as necessary. He emphasized the importance of staying the course and not deviating from the established policy.

According to the Euractiv publication, Dombrovskis stated that amending the EU's sanctions regime to remove the unanimity requirement for future decisions is not feasible in the short term, as it would necessitate unanimous approval from all 27 member states. Instead, he urged the EU to find the political will to continue its support for Ukraine and intensify economic pressure on the Kremlin.

"There have been all sorts of peace initiatives. We have seen that Russia is not interested in any of them. It is only interested in continuing its aggression. In such a situation, the only way out is to increase pressure on Russia," the commissioner declared. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had previously called the decision to delist Usmanov and Fridman "disgraceful and unjustified." Latvia, after initially blocking the move, announced it would impose its own national sanctions on the two individuals.