AfD Plans Talks With Russia on Restarting German Gas Supplies

AfD leadership and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev are preparing to meet to discuss restarting Russian gas supplies to Germany, with the meeting planned for as early as March 2027. According to sources familiar with the plan, the discussions would involve AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, and Dmitriev, who is a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin and heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund. The meeting would only happen if a peace framework is agreed first between Russia and Ukraine. Organizers hope that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will also attend, but a senior U.S. official told Reuters that they have not been informed about or invited to the proposed summit. Possible locations for the meeting include Israel, the United Arab Emirates, or India. AfD has framed its call for resuming Russian gas supplies as pragmatic, with Weidel describing "cheap energy from Russia" as "the secret of the success of Made in Germany." The party recently won a major victory in the state election of Saxony-Anhalt, securing 43.8% of the vote, which has boosted its political leverage.