German government condemns AfD delegation's visit to Putin's St. Petersburg forum

Four AfD politicians – Bundestag members Markus Frohnmaier and Steffen Kotré, Saxony party chief Jörg Urban and EU MP Petr Bystron – attended the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia, a meeting hosted by President Vladimir Putin. The German foreign ministry had explicitly warned the party against the trip, and government spokesperson Steffen Meyer said the delegation’s participation “runs contrary to German interests” and gives the impression of normalising relations with a country that is committing “the worst crimes against Ukrainian civilians”.

The AfD defended the visit, arguing that dialogue is needed to protect German business interests and to discuss the possible re‑activation of the Nord‑Stream gas pipelines. Frohnmaier said he met Gazprom chief Alexei Miller to talk about cheap Russian gas, while Bystron claimed German firms were losing market share to China because of sanctions on Russia. Kotré emphasized that “not all German politicians see Russia as the greatest threat”. The government reiterated its stance of limiting contacts with Russian officials and condemned the ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine.