AfD co-leader Alice Weidel says Germany should stop financing Ukraine war and seek Russian energy to cut costs

Alternative for Germany co-leader Alice Weidel said Germany should stop financing the war in Ukraine and pursue renewed Russian oil, gas and diesel supplies to lower energy costs.

Weidel made the remarks in an interview with The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes for its Insider program, published October 15.

“This is our stance: It is not our war,” Weidel said, calling the conflict dangerous and especially costly for Germany. She said Berlin had spent more than €100 billion supporting Ukraine and argued that continuing the war was putting Germany itself at greater risk.

Germany’s government says it has provided or committed more than €43.3 billion in bilateral civilian support and about €57.6 billion in military support since Russia’s full-scale invasion, bringing the combined figure above €100 billion.

Weidel contrasted Germany’s sanctions policy with Donald Trump’s engagement with Vladimir Putin over Russian energy. “We would like to have the same thing for Germany because we need to lower our energy costs,” she said.

She also criticized Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, including attacks on refineries, calling them dangerous provocations against a nuclear-armed state. Weidel said Berlin should put pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue an end to the war.

Asked whether Russia was a threat beyond Ukraine, Weidel declined to frame the issue in those terms, saying German foreign policy should instead be judged by whether it served the country’s national interest.

She also questioned the evidence behind allegations of Russian involvement in a foiled drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. German and Western intelligence officials, however, have linked the attempted attack and other recent sabotage operations to Russian military intelligence, while Moscow has denied involvement.