European Union (EU) member states failed to agree this Sunday to ban oil imports from Russia because of the war in Ukraine, in the face of some countries' energy dependence.

The EU countries' ambassadors met on Sunday for about an hour and a half but failed to reach an agreement, with the oil embargo remaining the main obstacle to the sixth package of sanctions against the Kremelin, according to diplomatic sources, quoted by EFE and Lusa news agencies.

At issue is, above all, the dependence of some countries on oil imports from Russia.

However, "very important advances" have been achieved, although there is still work to be done to reach an agreement.

In particular, Budapest, Bratislava, and Prague want to ensure sufficient supply for when they stop importing Russian crude oil, on which they are dependent.

Next week, the EU will continue contacts "at all levels" to reach an agreement "as soon as possible," the same sources said.

The EU executive wants to ban Russian oil imports into the European Union for six months after the sanctions take effect.

In the case of refined oil, the suspension runs for eight months.

The sanctions would also veto all possible technical assistance services, direct or indirect, and all intermediation services, including financial and insurance, that are related to the Russian oil ban.

In addition, to prevent Russian tankers from evading sanctions, the text calls for a ban on the transport of Russian oil in all its forms, including "ship-to-ship" cargo transfers from Russian vessels to those of other countries.

On the financial front, Brussels proposes adding Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, to the list of Russian banking institutions excluded from the Swift international transaction system, as well as the state-owned Agricultural Bank of Russia, 100%, and the Moscow Credit Bank.

Brussels has also proposed sanctioning people, such as the Russian colonel known as the "butcher of Bucha" or the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and 20 companies linked to the Ministry of Defense or the Russian Army, as well as three media outlets.

Countries like Hungary, Slovakia or the Czech Republic are asking that the transition period for getting rid of this fuel be longer, although Brussels has raised an exception for Budapest and Bratislava.

Although it was not originally included in the agreement, Prague has also publicly asked for a two or even three-year delay in decoupling from Russian oil.