Russia ‘not a threat’ to Germany – senior opposition MP

AfD parliamentary chief Markus Frohnmaier has urged dialogue to resolve the Ukraine conflict

A senior lawmaker from Germany’s largest opposition party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), has rejected the government’s claim that Russia poses a threat to the country.

Markus Frohnmaier, who leads the right-wing AfD in the Bundestag, also dismissed allegations that the party is working on Moscow’s behalf. The AfD has long criticized military aid to Ukraine and argued that Berlin should instead focus on diplomacy.

“I stand for German interests,” Frohnmaier said on Tuesday in a televised debate with Norbert Roettgen of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

He went on to say that Germany should not “get involved in a foreign war” and has no obligation to defend Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.

Asked if Russia poses a threat, Frohnmaier said, “We are not at war with Russia.”

“The AfD’s position is to remain in dialogue with all global, relevant actors,” he added, criticizing the government for what he called a “hyper-moralizing” foreign policy.

Read more

Roettgen claimed that Moscow is waging a “hybrid war” against Germany and other European states, accusing his opponent of spreading Russian propaganda. In a speech last week, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Russia a threat to national security.

Germany recently announced plans to increase financial aid to Kiev by €3 billion ($3.5 billion) next year, and according to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, delivered additional US-made Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine last month.

A Forsa opinion poll in August found that 52% of respondents in Germany believed Ukraine should cede some territory to Russia to end the conflict. Zelensky, however, has ruled out any territorial concessions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that NATO members, including Germany, were already de facto “at war with Russia” because Ukraine is actively using Western-supplied weapons. He has stated that Russia will not attack NATO states unless attacked first.