After months of dispute over its foreign policy orientation, the AfD has attempted to give itself a unified line. In two working papers, the foreign policy spokespeople Frohnmaier, Otten and Keuter advocate ending military support for Ukraine as quickly as possible. At the same time, they emphasize their party's closeness both to Russia and to the government of the United States.
The papers mark a clear course on an issue that had long been contested within the party. That these positions are now being recorded in writing suggests that the party leadership is seeking a binding line. The demand for an end to military aid to Ukraine stands at the center of the considerations, while relations with Moscow and Washington are highlighted as reference points for future foreign policy.
With this emphasis, the AfD clearly positions itself in the foreign policy debate in the Bundestag apart from the course pursued by the federal government and the other factions represented in parliament on the Ukraine conflict. The papers show that the party regards foreign policy as a central field for its political profiling, on which it wants to distinguish itself from the established parties.
The working papers come from three members of parliament who are responsible for foreign and security policy within the party. Their proposals are to be understood as a positioning of the party. However, the available information does not indicate whether, and to what extent, the party bodies have already formally adopted the line. The debate over the foreign policy course is therefore likely to continue within the party.