--- title: "\"Putin won't stop on his own\": EU commissioner admits EU fatigue over sanctions and calls for increased pressure on Russia" description: "EU Commissioner Dombrovskis acknowledged EU \"fatigue\" over sanctions against Russia and called for overcoming it so as not to allow Moscow to win. The statement came after the lifting of restrictions on Usmanov and Friedman." date: 2026-09-23T09:14:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/eu-fatigue-anti-russia-sanctions-dombrovskis-en tags: [eu-sanctions, russia, ukraine-war, dombrovskis, usmanov, fridman, eu-unity] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Putin won't stop on his own": EU commissioner admits EU fatigue over sanctions and calls for increased pressure on Russia ![EU Commissioner speaks at a press conference against the backdrop of the EU flag, calling for stronger sanctions pressure on Russia](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/23/eu-fatigue-anti-russia-sanctions-dombrovskis/eu-fatigue-anti-russia-sanctions-dombrovskis-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Valdis Dombrovskis acknowledged a "certain fatigue" in the EU over years-long anti-Russian sanctions, but called for overcoming it - The statement came after Usmanov and Friedman were removed from the EU sanctions lists at France's initiative - Reform of the sanctions mechanism (abandoning unanimity) is possible but requires amending the EU treaties and will not be quick - Dombrovskis stated that "Putin and Russia will not stop on their own" and that they need to be stopped by increasing pressure Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, in an interview with the Euractiv agency, openly acknowledged that a "certain fatigue" is growing within the European Union over the years-long tightening of anti-Russian sanctions. At the same time, he stressed that this state of mind must be overcome so as not to allow Moscow to win the war against Ukraine. According to the official, after nearly five years of conflict, the sense of fatigue is understandable, but the EU's commitments to Kyiv remain unchanged: to support Ukraine and to pressure Russia "for as long as it takes." ### Context: the Usmanov and Friedman case Dombrovskis's call came against the backdrop of the EU's high-profile decision to remove Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman from the sanctions lists. The initiative was pushed by France, which secured the lifting of the restrictions. Latvia, which had previously blocked the decision, ultimately withdrew its veto under pressure from Paris. The situation became telling: for the adoption or amendment of sanctions measures, the EU requires a unanimous decision by all 27 member states, which makes the process extremely vulnerable to lobbying pressure from individual capitals. ### Sanctions mechanism reform: possible, but not quickly Against this backdrop, journalists asked Dombrovskis whether the possibility of changing the very mechanism for adopting sanctions was being considered, so as to eliminate the unanimity requirement. The commissioner confirmed that such an idea had indeed been discussed β€” including in Germany and under European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, he warned: a quick reform is impossible. Changing the procedure requires amending the EU's founding treaties, and their ratification, in turn, requires the unanimous approval of all 27 countries. Thus, the paradox is that to abolish the unanimity rule, unanimity itself is required. ### "They need to be stopped" Concluding the interview, Dombrovskis drew a sharp conclusion: under current conditions, "the only way out is to increase pressure on Russia." He emphasized that European countries need to demonstrate the political will to continue supporting Ukraine and to step up economic pressure on Moscow. "It is clear that Putin and Russia will not stop on their own. They need to be stopped," the commissioner summed up, effectively calling on Brussels not to fall for Kremlin tricks, which, according to him, are deliberately aimed at splitting and weakening the sanctions regime. ### Contradictory data No significant discrepancies in dates, figures, or assessments were found in the provided sources. All four verified outlets (RBC-Ukraine, Eurointegration, UNN, RBC) uniformly convey the essence of Dombrovskis's statement and the circumstances of the Usmanov–Friedman case. The only nuance: the phrasing "nearly five years of war" is correct for September 2026 (the conflict began in February 2022), although some sources emphasize "years-long" pressure, which stylistically but not factually diverges from the main text. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [EU acknowledges "fatigue" over sanctions against Russia: will the mechanism for adopting them be changed](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/es-viznali-vtomu-vid-sanktsiy-proti-rf-chi-1790154542.html) - Основной источник: Ρ†ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚Ρ‹ Домбровскиса, контСкст Π΄Π΅Π»Π° Усманова/Π€Ρ€ΠΈΠ΄ΠΌΠ°Π½Π°, позиция Π›Π°Ρ‚Π²ΠΈΠΈ, вопрос ΠΎ Ρ€Π΅Ρ„ΠΎΡ€ΠΌΠ΅ Сдиногласия. - [EU Commissioner Dombrovskis: Europe must overcome "fatigue" over sanctions against Russia](https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/rus/news/2026/09/23/7246097/) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΊΠ»ΡŽΡ‡Π΅Π²Ρ‹Π΅ Ρ†ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚Ρ‹ ΠΈ Π΄Π°Ρ‚Ρƒ ΠΏΡƒΠ±Π»ΠΈΠΊΠ°Ρ†ΠΈΠΈ 23.09.2026. - [EU must overcome "fatigue" over sanctions and step up pressure on Russia β€” EU commissioner](https://unn.ua/ru/news/yes-dolzhen-preodolet-ustalost-ot-sanktsii-i-usilit-davlenie-na-rossiyu-yevrokomissar) - Π‘ΠΎΠ²ΠΏΠ°Π΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΠΏΠΎ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ΠΎΠ»ΠΎΠ³ΠΈΠΈ ΠΈ Ρ†ΠΈΡ‚ΠΈΡ€ΠΎΠ²Π°Π½ΠΈΡŽ. - [EU commissioner acknowledges Europe's fatigue over sanctions against Russia](https://www.rbc.ru/politics/23/09/2026/6ab36f8219a00ca412cbe1e3) - РоссийскоС ΠΈΠ·Π΄Π°Π½ΠΈΠ΅ ΠΏΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ Ρ„Π°ΠΊΡ‚ заявлСния ΠΈ основныС тСзисы. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What exactly did Dombrovskis say about "fatigue" over sanctions? **A:** He acknowledged that after nearly five years of war, a "certain fatigue" is felt in the EU over the tightening of sanctions, but stated that this must be overcome, since the commitments to support Ukraine and pressure Russia remain in force. ### Q: Why did the statement come at exactly this moment? **A:** The immediate trigger was the EU's decision to remove Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Friedman from the sanctions lists at France's initiative. Latvia had blocked the decision but withdrew its veto under pressure from Paris. ### Q: Can the unanimity rule for adopting EU sanctions be changed? **A:** Dombrovskis confirmed that the idea is being discussed (including in Germany and under von der Leyen), but a quick reform is impossible: changing the procedure requires amendments to the EU treaties, which themselves require the unanimous approval of all 27 countries. ### Q: What is Dombrovskis's main point at the end of the interview? **A:** The commissioner stated that "Putin and Russia will not stop on their own" and that they need to be stopped, calling on European countries to demonstrate the political will to step up economic pressure on Moscow.