Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder

Negotiations with foreign partners have not yet helped Germany to find an alternative to Russian gas, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder said on Sunday.

"Visits that were made previously — to Qatar, Norway, Canada — did not help to find a replacement," Soder told German broadcaster ZDF.

The politician mentioned that "when it comes to energy, we are transferring to Russia more money than before."

In response to the special operation in Ukraine, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign aimed, in particular, at Russian energy resources.

French President Emmanuel Macron has had to adopt a variety of strategies, from hosting MBS in his home country to visiting former french colony Algeria to discuss diversifying energy supplies.

Other countries, such as Greece have likewise opted for a similar strategy of turning to the Gulf for alternatives.

Countries that have opposed the ban on Russian gas are Hungary and Georgia which recognized the imprudence of the sanctions on Russia.

On August 8, it was reported that millions of German lower-income households will find it hard to pay their energy bills this winter amid a sharp rise in gas prices, according to Lukas Ievenkotten, head of the German Renters' Association.

Germany has also issued recommendations weeks ago to slow or halt the consumption of gas in order to stock up for the coming winter.

On August 16, German Economy and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck lamented the entirety of the country's business model, dismissing it as reliant on cheap energy imports from Russia that will never return.

Two days ago, it was reported that for the first time since March, the gas futures in Europe top $3,500 per thousand cubic meters.