Putin envoy Dmitriev, AfD prepare meeting on restarting Russian gas supplies to Germany, Reuters reports

Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party are set to meet in early March to discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Germany, according to a Reuters report on September 18. The AfD, Germany's largest opposition party, has gained popularity with its far-right, anti-immigration stance and has called for reducing assistance to Ukraine while seeking to restart economic ties with Russia.

Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, would be meeting with AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. The meeting would have limited impact on Germany's actual policy but highlights the AfD's close ties with Moscow. The AfD has called for lifting sanctions on Russia and restarting the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which were damaged by explosions in September 2022, though Ukraine has denied involvement.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously dismissed the possibility of restarting the pipelines. Prior to the war in Ukraine, Germany received more than half of its gas imports from Russia, but the EU has significantly cut supplies and aims to stop Russian gas imports by next year. The AfD and Dmitriev's representatives have not commented on the meeting, which organizers hope will also include U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, though a U.S. official confirmed they are unaware of such a meeting.

The summit would occur only if a peace framework between Russia and Ukraine is reached and could take place in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, or India.