Weidel says Germany should stop financing what she calls an "already lost war" in Ukraine

German AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said Germany should stop financing the war in Ukraine, arguing that Kyiv cannot defeat Russia and that continued support is not in Germany's national interest.

"I think it is wrong to continue with the prolongation of financing of an already lost war," Weidel said in an interview with The Economist. She added that Ukraine was "too small" to defeat Russia.

Asked for evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin was interested in peace, Weidel responded by asking what evidence existed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was interested in peace.

Weidel also argued that any diplomatic settlement must take Russia's security concerns into account, saying Western governments had made a major mistake by ignoring Moscow's objections to NATO's expansion and military infrastructure near Russia.

On migration, Weidel said Syrians in Germany should return to Syria now that the country's war had ended and said Ukrainians should also leave Germany once the war in Ukraine is over. She added that Germany did not want "a caliphate" in the country.

Her remarks reflect the AfD's broader push to cut German support for Ukraine, restore economic ties with Russia and pursue a much more restrictive migration policy.