Kremlin invites German far-right AfD lawmakers to St. Petersburg economic forum
Russian President Vladimir Putin's adviser Anton Kobyakov has invited at least two lawmakers from Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June. AfD Bundestag members Markus Frohnmaier and Steffen Kotré are set to attend, according to three party politicians. The invitation letter, seen by POLITICO, states that Putin is expected to attend the forum, which has been shunned by mainstream European leaders since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
BERLIN — An adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited at least two lawmakers from Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, in a sign of deepening Kremlin ties with the party ahead of key state elections.
AfD Bundestag members Markus Frohnmaier and Steffen Kotré are set to attend the forum after receiving personal invitations, according to three party politicians with knowledge of the situation. The invitation letter, seen by POLITICO, is signed by Putin adviser Anton Kobyakov and states that Putin is expected to attend the forum. “We are confident that pragmatic cooperation will help strengthen your business, political, and cultural ties for the benefit of a just world and a secure future,” the letter reads.
AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel had previously sought to tamp down party lawmakers' trips to Russia ahead of two state elections in western Germany earlier this year, calculating that overtly pro-Putin displays would not play well with voters there. However, the planned attendance of Frohnmaier — a relatively senior AfD figure — suggests the party leadership may be shifting course ahead of two state elections in eastern Germany set for September. Voters in the former East Germany are more likely to favor closer ties to Russia, and the AfD is far ahead in polls in both states where elections will be held.
Stefan Keuter, an AfD lawmaker authorized to approve party travel requests, said he would sign off on Frohnmaier and Kotré attending the forum. “Politically speaking, there’s absolutely no reason not to,” Keuter said.
Before Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the annual forum in St. Petersburg — sometimes dubbed “Putin’s Davos” — regularly attracted German political heavyweights including then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended in 2013. The forum is now shunned by mainstream European leaders.
AfD lawmaker Kotré sparked controversy in November 2025 when he attended a BRICS conference in Sochi despite pressure within his party to cancel the trip. Ahead of the two eastern state elections in September, AfD leaders have renewed their calls for closer ties with Moscow, including a call for the resumption of cheap natural gas flows from Russia.