AfD Leader Vows to End Russian Energy Boycott in Bid for German Chancellery

The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, has called for a full restoration of German-Russian economic ties, demanding an end to Berlin's boycott of Russian energy to rescue the country's stagnant economy.

Speaking to Reuters, Weidel framed the re-establishment of relations with Moscow as a central pillar of her party's ambition to secure the German chancellery by 2029.

The Energy Argument

Weidel asserted that cheap Russian energy remains fundamental to German industrial performance, claiming its absence has inflicted severe economic damage.

Prior to the 2022 sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, Russia supplied more than a third of Germany's crude oil imports and over half of its natural gas.

The loss of these supplies, compounded by the September 2022 explosions that disabled the Nord Stream pipeline, has left German industry in a prolonged downturn.

Weidel argued that the current policy has forced a costly dependency on the United States for higher-priced energy imports, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Electoral Milestones

The push to normalize relations with Moscow comes ahead of critical September state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The AfD currently dominates polls in these eastern regions, where historical ties to Soviet rule foster greater sympathy toward Russia and skepticism toward the U.S.

Weidel described these regional votes as decisive milestones that could break the political "firewall" maintained by mainstream parties, such as Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats.

A victory would allow the AfD to challenge federal policies from a regional position, providing a stepping stone toward national governance.

Backchannel Diplomacy

The party's focus on restoring ties with Moscow is already translating into direct engagements.

Senior AfD lawmaker Markus Frohnmaier recently traveled to Russia to meet with Alexei Miller, the head of state-controlled energy giant Gazprom, to discuss reopening Nord Stream.

According to Frohnmaier, Gazprom could resume gas supplies within a three-month timeframe if the pipeline route is reactivated.

He added that German industry risks missing a critical window of opportunity to re-enter the Russian market.

Political Backlash

Mainstream political figures have strongly condemned the AfD's geopolitical alignment.

Roderich Kiesewetter, a Christian Democrat member of parliament, accused the party of romanticizing Russia to distort public debate and exploit voter anxieties in eastern Germany.

Weidel has dismissed these criticisms, alongside the domestic spy agency's classification of the AfD as extremist last year.

She maintained that the party represents ordinary citizens and would focus on economic stabilization rather than systemic upheaval.