Rada MP Chernev: Ukraine needs to build relations with AfD right now

Verkhovna Rada MP from the Servant of the People party and head of Ukraine’s permanent delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Yehor Chernev, has called on Kyiv to establish contacts with the German party Alternative for Germany, despite its ambiguous position on the Ukrainian question.

He made the statement in a piece published by Censor.NET.

In Chernev’s assessment, Germany’s shift to the “right” is driven by public demand for far-right parties and the strengthening of AfD. The MP outlined two possible scenarios: either the mainstream parties — CDU/CSU or the SPD — will be forced to enter into a coalition with AfD despite the existing “firewall,” or AfD will consolidate its position sufficiently to form a government on its own in the next Bundestag.

“Yes, we see its position regarding aid to Ukraine — and there are certain reservations about the future prospects of assistance from Germany, which is, generally speaking, currently the leader in providing aid to Ukraine. On top of that, Germany carries the greatest weight within the European Union, and our further progress on the question of EU accession depends on this. That is why I already believe that we need to build relations with AfD. And to remember that Alternative for Germany includes different people. Not all of them, shall we say, are opposed to aid to Ukraine,” the parliamentarian stressed.

Chernev drew particular attention to the phenomenon of AfD support specifically in eastern Germany, where, in his words, the influence of Russian agents and Russia itself has traditionally been strong. The MP noted that, despite the fall of the Berlin Wall and more than 30 years as part of a unified Germany, eastern Germany has never fully integrated into the western part of the country, and a sense of nostalgia for the “relative stability” of the socialist past persists among part of the population.

“Politicians from Alternative for Germany are also playing on those who have lost their jobs. And, of course, this is further stoked by the Russian Federation, its propaganda and disinformation,” Chernev added.

In the MP’s view, the strengthening of AfD could become a problem not only for Ukraine, but for the European Union and NATO as a whole. He added that both the EU and NATO are aware of these threats and are trying to be prepared for any turn of events.