Alice Weidel, the leader of the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is projected to take second place in the parliamentary elections on February 23, has stated that her party aims to maintain “very good relations” with major global powers, including Russia.
She made these remarks in an interview with Bild.
Weidel was responding to a question about why Alternative for Germany seeks cooperation with Russia, despite the latter’s military threats against Germany.
“We want to have very good relations with our European neighbors… But we also want to have very good relations with the great powers. This includes Russia… We want to end the sanctions policy, which primarily harms our own country. We have the highest energy prices in the world. We are no longer competitive,” Weidel said.
She criticized the German government for what she called a three-year-long escalation spiral.
“We have provoked Russia verbally, financially, and with weapons. German tanks are once again moving against Russia for the first time since World War II. It’s an absolute disregard for history, if you ask me,” Weidel stated when asked why she refuses to acknowledge Russian threats to Germany as an act of war.
When pointed out that she had not made a single critical remark about Russia, Weidel responded by referencing former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump didn’t do that either. You need to sit at the negotiating table. You need to talk to each other. We, as AfD, have said nothing other than that we must enter peace negotiations. And I think that is the only serious policy. Above all, we must absolutely put an end to the self-destructive sanctions policy,” she said.
