Russia is currently no threat to Berlin’s security, but even Warsaw might one day pose a danger, AfD party co-chair Tino Chrupalla has said
Russia poses no more of a threat to Germany than neighboring Poland, Tino Chrupalla, the co-chairman of the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD), party has argued.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and several other senior officials have repeatedly called Moscow an existential threat to Germany.
Appearing on the talk show ‘Markus Lanz’ aired by broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday, Chrupalla said that he “currently see[s] no danger to Germany from Russia.” He added that “any country can become a threat to Germany.”
When the host suggested that a fellow NATO and EU member state, such as Poland, was an unlikely candidate for that role, the AfD co-chair disagreed, insisting that “of course, Poland can also be a threat to us.”
“Take the current double moral, the double standards” that have been displayed by the Polish government with respect to the 2022 blasts that severely damaged the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, he charged. Chrupalla cited Warsaw’s refusal to extradite a Ukrainian “terrorist” that the German authorities had issued an arrest warrant for in connection with the explosions.
Last month, the Warsaw District Court dismissed Berlin’s extradition request for Ukrainian national Vladimir Zhuravlyov as “unfounded.” The judge argued that “blowing up critical infrastructure during a war… is not sabotage but denotes a military action.”
Speaking on Tuesday, Chrupalla also defended AfD lawmakers’ trips to Russia, arguing that such contacts are necessary to maintain dialogue with Moscow.
In September, Markus Frohnmaier, who leads the AfD in the Bundestag, argued that “we are genuinely interested in normalizing relations with Russia.” He cited the economic woes triggered by Germany’s decision to “decouple” from inexpensive Russian energy.
According to a survey by the pollster INSA, whose results were released last month, the AfD had emerged as the most popular party in Germany, enjoying the support of 26% of respondents.
In February’s snap federal election, the opposition party came in second, with 152 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag.
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