"The unusual split comes at a time when mainstream politicians have accused the anti-immigration AfD of acting as stooges for the Kremlin and even spying for Russia. The row has also erupted in a year in which the AfD is flying high, often polling above the record 20 percent it won in the February elections which made it Germany's second strongest party."
"The more than decade-old party's electoral stronghold is the ex-communist east, where many people hold more favourable views of Russia despite high tensions with NATO over the Ukraine war. But the AfD has also been seeking a more polished image, hoping to expand its influence in western Germany. And it wants to maintain warm ties with US President Donald Trump, whose team has strongly backed the far-right party, at a time when he has distanced himself from Putin over Moscow's refusal to negotiate peace in Ukraine."
AfD top leaders are publicly divided over maintaining close ties with Russia. Alice Weidel condemned planned visits by AfD lawmakers to Sochi and banned any meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, urging de-escalation and noting Russian tests of NATO air defences. Co-leader Tino Chrupalla defended President Vladimir Putin and maintained a Moscow-friendly stance. The split occurs amid accusations from mainstream politicians that AfD acts as a Kremlin proxy and even spies for Russia. The AfD is polling strongly, with a base in the ex-communist east and efforts to polish its image and expand into western Germany while cultivating ties to Donald Trump.
Read at The Local Germany
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]