Rüdiger Lucassen criticizes AfD stance on Ukraine war

Rüdiger Lucassen, a prominent AfD politician and former defense policy spokesperson for the party's Bundestag faction, has publicly distanced himself from certain stances held by his party regarding the war in Ukraine.

In an interview with the newspaper Welt, Lucassen stated that while many within the AfD hold a strong affinity for Russia—a sentiment he admitted to sharing in the past—the current situation must be viewed clearly. He asserted, “But one thing is a fact: The Russian Federation and Putin have invaded Ukraine and have started a war of aggression.”

Lucassen noted a discrepancy between the federal parliamentary group, which has formally identified the invasion as a war of aggression, and state-level branches. For instance, the AfD's program for the upcoming state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern refers to the situation only as a “conflict in Ukraine,” omitting the term “war of aggression.”