Co-leaders of Germany’s far-right AfD tout unity amid Russia tensions

The co-leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) presented a united front on Thursday after public differences over the party’s controversial ties with Russia.

“We will continue to work together on policies for Germany and its citizens,” Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla wrote in a joint letter. “To this end, we maintain good relations with our European and international partners.”

Weidel, the anti-immigrant party’s top candidate in February’s parliamentary elections, has distanced herself from Chrupalla on Moscow.

The party’s relations with Russia have generated controversy in Berlin in recent weeks, with several of the party’s lawmakers intending to travel to Moscow for a conference despite the war in Ukraine.

Weidel criticized the trip, saying she did not “understand what they’re supposed to be doing there.”

Meanwhile, Chrupalla has caused unrest within the party over an appearance on a talk show earlier this week, in which he said he currently saw no specific danger to Germany from Russia.

Any country can be a danger to Germany, he argued. Responding to a question about whether this included Luxembourg, Poland or Finland, Chrupalla said: “Of course, Poland can also be a danger for us,” highlighting Warsaw’s refusal to extradite a suspect accused of involvement in the Nord Stream explosions.

He further said of Russian President Vladimir Putin: “He hasn’t done anything to me.”

The remarks were condemned by the AfD’s defence spokesman in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. Rüdiger Lucassen, a former officer in the German armed forces, called Chrupalla’s theory “abstruse.”