Kremlin welcomes AfD call for Russia dialogue

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Moscow welcomes the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's advocacy for dialogue with Russia, describing the right-wing party's stance as far more favorable than what he termed the confrontational approach of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Peskov's remarks came one day after the AfD urged "a different approach to peace and diplomacy" to end the Russia-Ukraine war and called on Merz to visit Moscow for talks.

The AfD secured approximately 38.2% of the vote in Sunday's state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, marking its second state-level victory in two weeks and placing it ahead of the center-left Social Democrats at 35.5%. Merz's Christian Democratic Union suffered its worst-ever electoral showing in its 81-year history, falling below the 5% threshold with just 4.9% of the vote and failing to enter the state parliament, according to preliminary results from the election commission. "We want good cooperation with all major powers, with America and China alike. The sanctions policy (against Russia) has primarily harmed the German economy," AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla told a media briefing in Berlin.

Visa row and UN reform calls

Peskov also addressed the refusal by US authorities to issue a visa to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov, accusing Washington of violating its obligations as host of the United Nations headquarters. "Undoubtedly, this will be a topic placed on the agenda during contacts with the Americans," he said, describing the visa denial as another example of unfriendly actions against Moscow.

The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia believes the UN Security Council requires reform, arguing that expansion of permanent membership in the body must take place "without fail." He noted that Western countries are refusing to cooperate with Russia in the Arctic, though this does not diminish Moscow's role in the region, and that the topic is not currently on the agenda in bilateral contacts with Washington.

EU sanctions dispute

Commenting on reports regarding the possible delisting of Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from EU sanctions, Peskov said Moscow views these measures as illegal and that they should be lifted for all Russian citizens. Politico reported on Monday that EU countries failed to reach agreement on renewing the sanctions framework, which would result in the removal of Usmanov and Fridman from the list, with France and Slovakia supporting the delisting on national security grounds.