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Germany should restore access to Russian oil and gas to support its struggling economy, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel told Reuters, as she outlined her party's goal of leading a national government.
Weidel said the AfD could win two key federal state elections in the coming months and described them as decisive milestones toward securing the chancellery as soon as the next national elections, which are due by 2029.
"Cheap energy from Russia was the secret of the success of 'Made in Germany'. We need it back," Weidel said.
"The loss of this energy has set us back years. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost. It has made us dependent on the United States, which sells us energy at far higher prices," she added.
Before sanctions were imposed over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia supplied more than a third of Germany's crude oil imports and more than half of its natural gas.
Germany has also struggled to recover from the shock caused by the shutdown of the key undersea Nord Stream pipeline, which was crippled by explosions in September 2022.
The country's industry remains under pressure after a spike in energy costs. Car giant Volkswagen is considering cutting as many as 100,000 jobs, adding to concerns over Germany's industrial outlook.
Weidel's comments point to the potential fragility of the Western alliance supporting Ukraine. While Germany's current government backs Ukraine, the population remains more divided.
Weidel made the comments ahead of the September elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, two key eastern German states where the AfD is leading in polls.
Should the AfD take control, those regional governments could challenge Berlin's migration policy, which the party says is too generous and places a financial burden on local governments.
A victory would also challenge Germany's consensus model of committee-style government and could give the AfD a stepping stone toward national rule.
"Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are decisive milestones," Weidel said.
"If we win in Saxony-Anhalt, then Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will probably follow. I can see the AfD in the chancellery either by the next elections or the ones after," she added.
For mainstream parties such as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, which have rejected cooperation with the AfD, a far-right victory in Saxony-Anhalt would deal a blow to the so-called firewall of coalitions aimed at keeping the AfD from power.
Energy costs and the prospect of cheaper Russian energy could help the AfD attract voters, particularly in eastern Germany.
Germany's relationship with Russia carries more political weight in the east, which was under Soviet rule until the fall of the Berlin Wall more than 35 years ago. Many people there take a more sympathetic view of Russia and a more critical view of Germany's military protector, the United States.
Weidel's comments on Russia followed a visit earlier this month by senior AfD lawmaker Markus Frohnmaier to Russia.
Frohnmaier met Alexei Miller, the head of Russian energy giant Gazprom, and called for the reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
He rejected criticism of the trip, saying he understood that U.S. investors were examining reopening the Nord Stream route to Germany, a move that could see Germany pay a fee to draw Russian gas.
"We have to be careful in Germany that we don't miss the window of opportunity to get back into the Russian market," Frohnmaier told Reuters.
"Mr. Miller said it would take a three-month timeframe for the gas supply to be resumed," he added.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of parliament from Merz's Christian Democrats, said the AfD's pro-Russian stance was distorting the public debate in Germany.
"The romanticization of Russia is being used by the AfD, in particular with an eye on the upcoming elections in eastern Germany," Kiesewetter said.
Weidel dismissed accusations that her party was extremist, after it was classified by Germany's spy agency last year.
"The way we see ourselves and the way our political rivals judge us, are miles apart," she said.
"People describe us as far-right. In truth, we are a party for the regular person. We will not turn everything on its head if we get into power," she added.
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