Four top figures from Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will travel to St. Petersburg at Vladimir Putin's invitation

Multiple senior AfD officials will be invited to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum next week, with the invitation originating from Putin’s inner circle. The delegation includes Jörg Urban, chair of the AfD in Saxony; Steffen Kötter, spokesperson for economic affairs of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag; Markus Fronmeier, spokesperson for foreign affairs of the AfD parliamentary group; and Peter Bistrian, a Member of the European Parliament.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is Russia’s most significant international economic event, organized under Putin’s direct oversight, with Putin personally attending each year. According to an invitation letter obtained by Germany’s Bild newspaper, the forum aims to “strengthen economic, political, and cultural ties to build a fair world and a secure future.” The letter was signed by Anton Kobyaev, a key advisor at the Kremlin.

Peter Bistrian, a Member of the European Parliament, explained the purpose of the visit: “I want to personally tell Putin that Ursula von der Leyen has asked him to stop the war.” At the same time, he advocated for closer economic relations between Europe and Russia: “I hope the conflict ends as soon as possible, and that economic ties between both sides return to normal. As a European parliamentarian from Munich, I look forward to Siemens, BMW, and other companies fully resuming their business activities in Russia.”

For Putin, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is far more than just an economic conference. He frequently uses this platform to deliver political statements. For example, last year he claimed that Russians and Ukrainians “belong to the same nation,” a remark that provoked widespread international backlash. When discussing territorial claims, he even declared in the presence of applause that Russia holds sovereignty over all lands where Russian troops have ever set foot. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Western political leaders have largely boycotted the forum—though former German chancellors Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schröder attended in earlier years.

Nico Lange, a military expert on Russia issues in Germany, told Bild newspaper: “Putin repeatedly invites AfD members to demonstrate externally that Russia is not isolated internationally. With so few foreign visitors now, domestic Russian media will undoubtedly exploit this visit extensively. These politicians have already become tools for Putin’s propaganda. Such trips serve no benefit to Germany and instead damage national interests.”

Urban and Kötter are not visiting Russia for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict. In November of last year, the two attended a conference in Sochi alongside other right-wing representatives from their party, where they delivered speeches and gave interviews to official Russian media. That trip sparked intense internal debate within the AfD. Party leader Alice Weidel then stated outright:

“I simply cannot understand what purpose they served by going there.”

Micro-commentary

While mainstream Western politics generally boycott the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, the coordinated participation of top AfD figures has become a key piece of propaganda for Russia to break its diplomatic isolation.

Some members of the party advocate easing relations with Russia and restoring bilateral trade and economic ties—positions that contradict the EU’s mainstream policies toward Ukraine and Russia, leading to deep divisions within the party.

Russia leverages visits by foreign guests to strengthen its domestic narrative, while German analysts believe this trip undermines Germany’s and the EU’s overall strategic position.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866621206250560/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.