Putin envoy and Germany's AfD preparing meeting on resuming Russian gas supplies
Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's chief economic envoy, and the leadership of Germany's far-right AfD party have begun preparations for a meeting to discuss resuming Russian gas supplies to Germany, potentially as early as March 2027. The meeting would also include AfD co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla and would be conditional on a prior Russia-Ukraine peace framework agreement.
Key points
- Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and AfD leadership are preparing a meeting to discuss resuming Russian gas supplies to Germany
- AfD co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to participate
- The meeting could take place as early as March 2027, with possible venues including Israel, the UAE, or India
- It is conditional on Russia and Ukraine first agreeing on a framework peace settlement
- Organizers hoped US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would attend, but a US official says they were not informed or invited
- The talks would address the possible resumption of the Nord Stream pipelines
- AfD is not in government, so any meeting would be largely symbolic
Why it matters
The meeting would directly address reviving Russian gas flows, including the Nord Stream pipelines, effectively reopening the post-2022 energy sanctions framework. It links a German opposition party with a senior Putin envoy in talks on foreign policy outside the current German government's purview. The event is explicitly tied to a Russia-Ukraine peace framework, embedding it in broader war-settlement diplomacy. The reported gap between organizers' hopes for US participation and a US official's denial of any invitation signals potential transatlantic friction. Finally, AfD's use of the energy issue to project foreign-policy competence illustrates how the party seeks to convert domestic popularity into international relevance.
What happened
According to sources cited by Reuters, Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin's chief economic envoy and head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and the leadership of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have begun preparations for talks on resuming Russian gas supplies to Germany. The planned participants include AfD co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. Sources said the meeting could take place as early as March 2027, with possible venues including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, or India. A precondition is prior agreement between Russia and Ukraine on a framework peace settlement. Organizers had hoped US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would also attend, but a senior US official told Reuters they were not informed and received no invitation. An AfD spokesperson and a representative of Dmitriev declined to comment.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources frame the story around Russian leverage over European energy and the diplomatic-strategic implications of a Western opposition party engaging directly with the Kremlin. Dmitriev is variously described as Putin's 'envoy,' a 'close adviser,' a 'participant in negotiations with the United States regarding a settlement,' or 'the Russian dictator's senior economic envoy.' AfD is consistently labeled 'far-right' or 'pro-Russian,' with one outlet using the loaded phrasing 'pro-Russian far-right party Alternative for Germany.' Ukrainian headlines foreground both the gas-resumption angle and the meeting itself, presenting it as a political-strategic story rather than emphasizing AfD's domestic electoral dynamics.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the meeting's timing: one outlet frames it as 'as early as March' without specifying a year, while another specifies 'as early as March 2027,' reflecting the next-year framing carried in the broader reporting. Sources also diverge on US participation: organizers say they hoped US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would join the gas meeting, while a US official told Reuters the envoys were not informed about the proposed summit and received no invitation.
Background
Before the 2022 sanctions tied to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia supplied more than a third of Germany's crude oil imports and more than half of its natural gas imports. Gas flows through Nord Stream were halted after the war began, and in autumn 2022 three of the four strings of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were blown up; German law enforcement suspects two Ukrainians in the sabotage. AfD recently placed first in Saxony-Anhalt state elections and was set to face another test in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the Nord Stream pipelines enter German territory. Green lawmaker Michael Kellner said the post-supply-cut energy crisis cost Germany 50 billion euros; CDU lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter said Russia uses energy as a tool of hybrid influence. EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas warned about political forces that 'to some extent' overlook the Russian threat to Europe. Dmitriev attended a meeting earlier this month in Moscow with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and the White House is reportedly considering business deals with Russia even before hostilities in Ukraine cease.