According to a report from the “Politico” podcast, “Inside AfD”, the AfD parliamentary group members Markus Frohnmaier and Steffen Kotré are planning to attend the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, scheduled for early June.
The podcast revealed that multiple members of the party reportedly received personal invitations to the event, which is set to take place from June 3rd to 6th. These letters, supposedly signed by an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasized that the forum is “under the patronage of the President of the Russian Federation, who will also participate”. The organizers stated that they are confident that pragmatic cooperation will help strengthen business, political, and cultural relations, benefiting a “just world and a secure future”. The forum is organized by the Russian government and the state-controlled Roscongress Foundation. Putin has served as the patron of the event since 2006 and is expected to participate again this year, according to the organizers.
However, the “Politico” podcast reported that the two deputies have not yet requested travel permits. The approval process will fall to the Deputy Parliamentary Group Chairman, Stefan Keuter. Speaking to “Politico”, Keuter confirmed he would approve the travel requests. He stated that there are no political objections, adding that the trip is also a way to signal a readiness to engage with Russia and build on existing good relations. Regarding the content of the visit, Keuter mentioned that the program was still being finalized through high-level discussions.
Stefan Kotré told “Politico” that he hopes that the visit will lead to closer cooperation between Germany and Russia, thereby ending what he describes as “unspeakable war propaganda” from the German side. The AfD politician explicitly called for the abandonment of sanctions and the return of Russian gas and oil to prevent Germany from further deindustrializing.
When questioned, Frohnmaier and the party leadership declined to comment on the travel plans. Daniel Tapp, a spokesperson for AfD Group Leader Alice Weidel, stated that they could not comment because no official travel plans had been presented yet.
