Ayhan Simsek
11 June 2026•Update: 11 June 2026
A senior German conservative politician accused the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Thursday of acting as a “mouthpiece” for the Kremlin and allowing itself to be used by Russia to divide and weaken German society.
Jens Spahn, parliamentary group leader of the co-ruling Christian Democrats, made the sharp attack during a heated Bundestag (parliament) session. He criticized the AfD’s close ties to Russia and said its repeated criticism of military support for Ukraine amounted to Kremlin propaganda.
Addressing AfD co-leader Alice Weidel directly, Spahn declared, “The Russian president has chosen you, the AfD, to divide and weaken our society. You, Ms. Weidel, and your faction are Putin’s compliant accomplices. You are Putin’s mouthpiece.”
He added: “Your adoration of Putin in times of war, your kowtowing to Moscow — that is not patriotism. That is treason against the fatherland.”
Earlier in the session, Weidel strongly criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s foreign policy, accusing the government of pushing Germany closer to war through its extensive military aid to Ukraine.
“You are sending billions upon billions to Ukraine, thereby financing the prolongation of a war that should have been ended long ago,” Weidel said. She also reiterated the AfD’s strong opposition to Ukraine ever joining the European Union or NATO.
