At the AfD party convention in Riesa, two proposals dominated the discussion on the topic of “Russia”. A group of delegates from Hesse, led by Bundestag member Albrecht Glaser, criticized the AfD’s election program for not mentioning the Russian invasion of Ukraine even once.
Glaser suggested that the AfD should condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, as they violate the self-determination of nations and disregard the rules for the protection of civilians. He proposed that the party should urge both parties to an immediate ceasefire. The proposal did not pass, as the federal party committee recommended “non-consideration”, which was approved by 69 percent of the delegates, and therefore no debate took place.
The party’s proposed program, presented by the federal board, mentions the war in Ukraine only once, without criticizing Russia. It states, “The war in Ukraine has shaken the European peace order. We see the future of Ukraine as a neutral state outside of NATO and the EU.”
Another proposal was put forward by a group of delegates from North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg, Bavaria, and Hesse, led by Pascal Pfannes from the Augsburg-Land district association. They wanted to add a condemnation of Soviet war crimes and Soviet injustices against Germans, as well as a criticism of the current Russian narrative on German history, to the section on the desired relationship between Germany and Russia.
The federal program committee recommended non-consideration, arguing that historical issues have no place in an election program. The party convention agreed, with some delegates pointing out that the United States also committed war crimes against Germans and that a corresponding proposal was not made.
The debates in Riesa were generally short, as the convention had agreed to limit the number of speaking turns at the beginning of the party convention. As a result, there were no lengthy, contentious discussions. Some speaking turns focused on the need to better consider the opinions of ordinary AfD voters in the party’s election program. A delegate from Hesse, for example, argued that in her district, many Bundeswehr bases are located, and as a party member, she frequently is asked about the AfD’s stance on this issue.