European Council Head Says New Russia Sanctions Become More Difficult To Agree On

European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday that it became more difficult to impose new sanctions on Russia.

"Each debate on sanctions is much more difficult than the previous one," Michel told reporters during a trip to Kiev, as quoted by Bloomberg.

At the same time, Michel added that the EU, despite the difficulties, would continue to consider new packages of sanctions against Russia.

On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the intention of the EU to introduce a tenth package of sanctions against Moscow.

Michel said he believed "more countries should be involved" in the European Union's standoff with Russia.

The Belgian, whose role is to chair EU leaders' meetings, will discuss Ukraine's proposals on how to ratchet up pressure on Russia with his colleagues in Brussels. His unannounced trip to Kiev was in part intended to help the European Union prepare for the summit with Ukraine set for February 3.