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Moscow Invites AfD MPs to 'Putin's Davos' – Attendance at SPIEF Planned

Putin advisor Anton Kobyakov has invited AfD MPs Markus Frohnmaier and Steffen Kotré to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Their possible attendance points to growing closeness between the Kremlin and the AfD.

An advisor to the Russian president has invited members of the AfD to participate in the June forum St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, with Putin's presence also announced in the invitations.

At least two members of the Bundestag, Markus Frohnmaier and Steffen Kotré, intend, according to party sources, to accept the invitation and travel to the forum.

The invitation was signed by Anton Kobyakov, which is interpreted as an indication of direct Kremlin contacts, while the participation of the AfD wing in international meetings also echoes earlier visits such as conference attendances at the BRICS summits.

Analysts view the trip also in the context of the state elections in East Germany and the intra-party debate over how openly the party should promote pro-Russian positions, after Russia has been internationally controversial since the Annexation of Crimea in 2014.

What position do you feel closer to?

AfD-aligned & pro-Russia

The invitation and possible participation of Frohnmaier and Kotré at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum is an important foreign policy counterpoint to the one-sided, sanctions-focused German line.

Democratic Russia-skeptics

The invitation of Frohnmaier and Kotré to the Putin forum is a targeted signal of Russian influence and reveals the dangerous foreign policy orientation of the AfD.

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