AfD urges closer ties with Trump and an end to military aid for Ukraine

In brief

• Germany's far-right AfD foreign policy figures, in two position papers reported by Welt, call for closer ties with the Trump administration.
• The papers demand an end to military aid for Ukraine, lifting sanctions on Russia and restarting Nord Stream.
• Unlike its 2022 stance, the AfD no longer condemns Russia's invasion in the document.

Party papers call for a pivot to Washington and Moscow

The foreign policy spokesman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group, Markus Frohnmaier, together with deputy group leader Stefan Keuter and deputy head of the group's foreign policy working group Gerold Otten, presented two documents in Berlin, reported Welt (Депутати "АдН" у Бундестазі виступили за кінець військової допомоги Україні та співпрацю з Трампом, – Welt – Espreso).

The first paper stresses that the United States and Europe are bound together by shared culture and history, pointing to millions of descendants of German emigrants. It names Donald Trump as a figure embodying that heritage. The authors call for mutually beneficial, pragmatic transatlantic cooperation and welcome parts of Trump's foreign policy reorientation, including what they describe as opposition to "woke ideology" in international organisations. They also welcome a possible reduction of US troops in Germany and the abandonment of plans to station American missiles there (Співпраця з Трампом і зупинка допомоги Україні: німецька "АдН" презентувала свою програму – Українська правда).

Demands on Ukraine and sanctions

The second paper, on German-Russian relations, repeats long-standing AfD demands: restarting the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, lifting economic sanctions against Russia and ending military aid to Ukraine. Unlike the group's position after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the document no longer condemns the attack. It describes the war as a tragedy that should end as quickly as possible, and says a peace settlement should take into account the security interests of all sides.

The papers come as the party seeks to position itself on foreign policy ahead of future elections, and they mark a clear departure from the position of Germany's mainstream parties, which have backed Ukraine since 2022 (AfD представила программу, предусматривающую отказ от поддержки Украины и сотрудничество с Трампом – NV).