ABU DHABI: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that he had seen progress in talks to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) and diesel from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Germany, until recently heavily dependent on Russia for gas, has been seeking to diversify its energy supply since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

Scholz, on a two-day trip to the Gulf region with executives from Germany industry, did not provide details on the talks with the UAE.

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“We need to make sure that the production of LNG in the world is advanced to the point where the high demand that exists can be met without having to resort to the production capacity that exists in Russia,” he told journalists.

On Saturday, Scholz held talks in Jeddah with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He will travel to Qatar later on Sunday.