AfD leadership prepares gas talks with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev

Proposed talks in neutral venues

Leaders of the Alternative for Germany party are preparing talks with Vladimir Putin's economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss resuming Russian natural gas supplies to Germany. The meeting between AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla and Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, is planned for March 2027. Organizers are considering Israel, the United Arab Emirates, or India as potential host locations. The talks depend on Russia and Ukraine first agreeing on a peace framework.

Organizers also sought to include United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met Dmitriev in Moscow earlier in September 2026. A senior US government official stated that Witkoff and Kushner received no invitation and were not informed about the planned gathering. Spokespeople for both AfD and Dmitriev declined to comment on the preparations. Weidel previously advocated ending restrictions on Russian energy imports in a June interview.

“Cheap energy from Russia was the secret of success for the 'Made in Germany' brand. We need to get it back.”

European storage and price pressures

The initiative develops while European energy markets experience tight supply conditions. European natural gas storage facilities stand at 69% capacity, compared with an average of 85% in prior years, while wholesale gas prices trade more than 150% higher than a year ago. Prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions, Germany sourced more than half of its natural gas imports and over one-third of its crude oil imports from Russian producers.

Current level69%

Prior years average85%

Current level

69 %

Prior years average

85 %

Data from the article text

Infrastructure and regulatory limits

The resumption of pipeline deliveries faces strict regulatory and physical barriers within the European Union. Brussels prohibits European operators from participating in transactions related to the operation, maintenance, or use of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. Lifting those restrictions requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states, facing firm opposition from Poland and Baltic nations. Furthermore, the EU framework mandates a complete end to Russian gas purchases by October 2027 regardless of pipeline ownership.

Physical pipeline transport capacity also remains severely restricted. Three of the four Nord Stream pipeline strings were destroyed in September 2022 underwater explosions. The remaining undamaged string of Nord Stream 2 never received regulatory certification from German authorities.

Domestic political opposition

Federal lawmakers in Berlin condemned the initiative, reiterating that foreign energy policy remains the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government. AfD holds no federal executive authority, as all mainstream German parties maintain a firewall against coalition cooperation with the party, which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified as right-wing extremist in 2025.

Green Party lawmaker Michael Kellner argued that restoring energy ties would expose the German economy to renewed vulnerability and undo recent diversification measures.

“Germany must not become dependent on Russia again. We must not repeat the mistakes of the energy crisis. It cost us 50 billion euros. We must not want to go back there. That would be treason. Putin is using the AfD for his purposes.”

Christian Democratic Union lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter similarly criticized the move, stating that Russia utilizes energy infrastructure, particularly Nord Stream, as a hybrid weapon. The controversy coincides with regional elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, following AfD's recent electoral gains in Saxony-Anhalt.