The parliamentary group of the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag has called for the revival of the Nord Stream pipelines. This is stated in a new position paper adopted at a faction meeting in Cottbus.
The document emphasizes: “We will continue to diversify gas and oil supplies in Germany’s interests, avoid new import dependencies, and ensure the commissioning of already existing supply routes, such as the Nord Stream pipeline.”
The party justifies its stance by the need to reduce energy costs for the German economy and its population, as well as to avoid excessive dependence on new suppliers. AfD insists on repairing the damaged pipeline sections (following the explosions in September 2022) and resuming Russian gas supplies via the existing infrastructure.
As a reminder, both strings of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were put out of service because of sabotage in the Baltic Sea. Since then, Germany has significantly reduced its imports of Russian gas, switching to LNG supplies from the United States, Norway, and other countries — a shift that has led to higher energy prices.
AfD leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel have previously stated on numerous occasions that returning to cheap Russian gas is in Germany’s national interest. The party emphasizes that this is a matter of pragmatic energy policy, not political support for Moscow.
For now, the official German authorities and most parliamentary parties — except for AfD and, to some extent, BSW — reject the idea of resuming Nord Stream operations. The federal government has repeatedly stated that there are no plans to repair or restart the pipelines, citing sanctions and the geopolitical situation.
AfD’s proposal has drawn sharp criticism from the Greens, the SPD, and the CDU/CSU, who view it as a dangerous step that could deepen Germany’s dependence on Russia. Nevertheless, against the backdrop of high energy prices and Germany’s economic difficulties, the question of returning to Russian gas has once again become part of the domestic political debate.