To support its weakening economy, Germany should end the boycott of Russian oil and gas, said co-chair of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) Alice Weidel. "Cheap energy from Russia was the secret of the success of the 'Made in Germany' brand. We need to bring it back," Weidel said in an interview with Reuters published on Tuesday, June 30. "The loss of this energy has set us back years. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost. It has made us dependent on the United States, which sells us energy at significantly higher prices," she added. Before the sanctions imposed due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia accounted for more than a third of Germany's crude oil imports and more than half of its natural gas. The country's industry has still not recovered from the spike in energy prices that followed the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022. ## Election Statement Alice Weidel's comments, as noted by Reuters, highlight the potential fragility of the Western alliance supporting Ukraine: the current German government supports Ukraine, but the country's population is far from unanimous in this regard. Weidel made her statements ahead of the September elections in two key eastern German states - Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the AfD is significantly leading in polls. If victorious, regional governments led by the AfD would challenge Berlin's migration policy, which they consider too lenient, the agency emphasizes. ## Prospects of Coming to Power This, Reuters further writes, would overturn the consensus model of coalition governance in Germany and potentially give the AfD a platform to come to power at the federal level. For parties like the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which refuse to cooperate with the AfD, a victory for the right in Saxony-Anhalt would strike a blow to the so-called "firewall" - a system of coalitions blocking the AfD's rise to power. "Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are crucial milestones," Weidel stated. "If we win in Saxony-Anhalt, then Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will likely follow. I see the AfD in the federal chancellery either in the next elections or after them." Energy prices and the prospect of cheaper Russian energy could attract voters, Reuters notes. The relationship of eastern Germany with Russia holds particular weight: this region was under Soviet control until the fall of the Berlin Wall over 35 years ago. Many there sympathize with Russia and view the U.S. critically as a military patron of Germany. ## "Romanticizing Russia" Weidel voiced her position following a recent visit to Russia by AfD Bundestag member Markus Frohnmaier. In St. Petersburg, he met with Gazprom head Alexey Miller and called for the resumption of the Nord Stream pipeline operations. Frohnmaier dismissed criticism of his trip, stating that American investors are exploring the possibility of resuming gas supplies via the Nord Stream route to Germany - with Germany potentially paying for the transit of Russian gas. "We need to be careful not to miss the window of opportunity to return to the Russian market," he indicated. According to him, Miller estimated the timeline for resuming gas supplies at three months. CDU Bundestag member Roderich Kiesewetter stated that the AfD's pro-Russian stance distorts public discourse in Germany. "The romanticization of Russia is being used by the AfD - especially with an eye on the upcoming elections in the eastern states," he noted. ## Weidel Rejects Extremism Accusations Alice Weidel rejected accusations of extremism - a status assigned to her party by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) last year. "How we assess ourselves and how our political opponents assess us are completely different things," she emphasized. "We are called right-wing extremists. In reality, we are a party of the ordinary person. We will not turn everything upside down if we come to power," Weidel added.
