The Kremlin links the AfD’s victory to Germany abandoning Russian gas

The Kremlin claims that the success of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the elections in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is linked to Berlin’s energy policy and its abandonment of cheap Russian gas. The AfD won 38.2% of the vote, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative centrist party failed to enter the regional parliament after falling short of the 5% electoral threshold.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the decline in the competitiveness of the German economy is largely due to the decision to replace Russian gas with energy imported from other countries, particularly the United States, at higher prices.

According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s economic representative, Kirill Dmitriev, and AfD leaders are preparing a meeting for next year, during which they could discuss the resumption of gas supplies to Germany. The AfD and Dmitriev did not comment on the information.

Germany is facing economic difficulties after the Nord Stream pipelines were shut down, having been damaged in explosions in September 2022. The Kremlin claims that the vote for the AfD reflects the dissatisfaction of part of the population with the current authorities.