German politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party are attending the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Among them is Markus Frohnmaier, a Bundestag lawmaker and head of the party’s branch in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
Frohnmaier acknowledged that his trip to Russia is viewed as “a sensitive issue”: “Germany needs a policy that once again puts greater focus on [energy] supply security, competitiveness, and the interests of its own citizens,” Frohnmaier said. “My participation, however, does not mean approval of the war in Ukraine.”
At SPIEF, Frohnmaier met with Alexei Miller, CEO of Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom. The news agency Interfax quoted the AfD legislator as saying Germany needs to consider “all possible options,” including resuming operations of the Nord Stream pipeline and restoring trade and economic relations with Russia.
According to German media, the participants also include Bundestag lawmaker Steffen Kotré, European Parliament member Petr Bystron, and Jörg Urban, head of the AfD branch in Saxony and a member of the regional parliament. Bystron said permission from the party’s parliamentary group was not required for the trip, but that the AfD’s federal leadership had been informed of the plans.
In addition to members of the AfD, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was spotted in Moscow in recent days, according to a report by German broadcaster N-tv. It is currently unclear whether he traveled to Russia to attend the St. Petersburg forum or for another purpose.
After leaving office as chancellor in 2005, Schröder worked on projects connected to Russia’s energy sector, becoming one of the most prominent advocates of German cooperation with Russian energy companies. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he nevertheless traveled to Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin.
German businesspeople are also listed as participants at SPIEF. They include Globus shareholder Thomas Bruch, EkoNiva Group beneficiary Stefan Dürr and Leo Eppinger, co-owner of Masterlock, a company based near Moscow.
