A senior economic representative of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the leadership of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have begun preparations for a meeting next year to discuss restoring gas supplies to Europe’s largest economy. Reuters reports this, citing two people familiar with the plans, according to UNN.
Details
The publication notes that discussions about holding a meeting as early as March indicate close ties between Moscow and the AfD—a party that, despite being excluded from power by a coalition of political opponents, enjoys the greatest support among German voters.
According to one of the sources, the meeting is expected to be attended by Kirill Dmitriev—a close adviser to Putin and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund—as well as AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla.
An AfD representative and Dmitriev’s spokesperson declined to comment.
In addition
Before sanctions were imposed in response to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia supplied more than a third of Germany’s crude oil imports and more than half of its natural gas imports.
The meeting will take place only if a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine has been agreed in advance; the organizers hope it will bring together representatives of the AfD, Russia, and the United States, the source said. Israel, the United Arab Emirates, or India were considered as possible venues for the summit.
In a June interview with Reuters, Weidel advocated ending the boycott of Russian oil and gas to support Germany’s economy, which is showing signs of decline.
This month, Dmitriev attended a meeting in Moscow with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The organizers hope that Witkoff and Kushner will also attend the gas meeting, which will consider restoring the operation of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines, the source said.
A senior U.S. official told Reuters that Witkoff and Kushner had not been informed about the planned summit and had not been invited to it.