The EU and allies have already imposed hefty measures against Russia, including freezing its central bank's assets.
Some of those who want the EU to go further showed impatience at the pace of talks after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. One EU diplomat said some hoped that by June the EU would have found enough alternative sources of energy to seriously consider an oil embargo. No date has been agreed though, and other EU states may have different targets in mind.
"Germany is importing a lot , but there are also other member states who can't stop the oil imports from one day to the other," she said, adding that the bloc should instead work on reducing its reliance on Moscow for its energy needs.
But they cautioned that energy was one of the most complex sectors to sanction because each EU country has its own red lines.