BRUSSELS, January 20. /TASS/. The European Union is facing increasing difficulties in adopting sanctions against Russia, European Council President Charles Michel said.

"Each debate on sanctions is much more difficult than the previous one," Michel told reporters, as cited by Bloomberg.

At the same time, the European Council president believes that sanctions should be strengthened and "more countries should be involved."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed earlier that EU sanctions would plunge the Russian economy into recession for decades. According to her, Brussels will continue the pressure of sanctions on Moscow due to military activities in Ukraine, supporting Kiev for as long as it takes.

Since February 2022, the European Union has adopted nine packages of economic and personal sanctions against Russia. The European Commission earlier declined to comment on the possibility of more sanctions on Moscow.