Kremlin welcomes Germany's AfD push for dialogue with Russia

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it welcomed the desire of Germany's right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) for dialogue with Russia.

Speaking to reporters during a press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he does not have information about reported attempts by the AfD to establish contacts with Moscow.

“However, as a German political force whose popularity is steadily rising – and which advocates for the value of building relations with our country – they certainly appeal to us,” Peskov said, expressing that such statements are “far more favorable to us” than what he described as “confrontational” ones made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Peskov’s remarks come a day after the AfD urged "a different approach to peace and diplomacy" for ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, calling on Merz to visit Moscow for talks.​​​​​​​

“We want good cooperation with all major powers, with America and China alike. The sanctions policy (against Russia) has primarily harmed the German economy,” AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla said at a media briefing in Berlin.

The AfD won the state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, its second state victory in just two weeks, while Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered its worst-ever showing in its 81-year history, according to preliminary results.

The CDU failed to enter parliament in the northeastern state with just 4.9% of the vote, down from 13.3% in the last election in 2021 and just short of the 5% threshold.

The AfD earned around 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) at 35.5%, according to the election commission.

- UN expansion, visa denial

Peskov also commented on the refusal to issue a visa to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, accusing the US of violating its obligations as host of the UN headquarters by denying Alimov a visa to attend the UN General Assembly.

“Undoubtedly, this will be a topic placed on the agenda during contacts with the Americans,” Peskov said, describing the visa denial as another example of “unfriendly actions” against Moscow.

Peskov also said that Russia believes the UN Security Council needs to be reformed, which he argued would entail the expansion of permanent membership in the UN body that must take place “without fail.”

He added that Western countries are refusing to cooperate with Russia in the Arctic, but this does not diminish Moscow’s role in the region. He added that the topic of cooperation in the Arctic is not currently on the agenda in Russia-US contacts.

Commenting on reports concerning the delisting of Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the 27-member bloc’s sanctions list, Peskov said Moscow viewed these sanctions as “illegal” and that they should be lifted for all Russians.

On Monday, Politico reported, citing three diplomats with knowledge of the talks, that EU countries failed to reach an agreement on the renewal of the bloc's sanctions framework, which would, in return, see Usmanov and Fridman's removal from the list.

The report said that France had cited “national security concerns” in justifying its demand for delisting Usmanov, joining Slovakia, which also supports his removal. It added that EU countries would meet again Tuesday morning.

The EU imposed a visa ban and asset freeze on Usmanov in 2022.