Putin offers gas talks, lauds Germany's AfD and Schröder

Russian President Vladimir Putin told international journalists at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Moscow is ready to resume gas deliveries to Germany. He said existing contracts with Gazprom remain valid and that the last intact Nord Stream branch could be used immediately.

Putin also praised Germany’s far‑right AfD party and former chancellor Gerhard Schröder as "statesmen" who could act as neutral mediators. He warned that Germany and the wider West are not neutral because of weapons shipments to Ukraine, and he reiterated that any negotiations must be on Russia’s terms.