“Can you give me proof that Zelensky is interested in peace?” asks Weidel

The co-chair of the AfD, Alice Weidel, considers the Ukrainian defensive battle against Russia to be lost. In a podcast interview with the British “Economist” she explained her stance on Russia, but also on German financial and migration policy.

It is “wrong to prolong the financing of a war that has already been lost,” Ukraine cannot win against Russia – it is “too small.” Germany should put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and follow a “Germany First” doctrine by negotiating diesel deliveries from Russia like US President Donald Trump.

The war “endangers Germany” because the country itself could become a target, said Weidel. However, she did not want to describe the drone incident at Leipzig Airport as a Russian hybrid attack due to a lack of evidence. Instead, she referred to the suspected Ukrainian attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

When the journalist Weidel replied that Putin was not interested in peace, the AfD politician replied: "That's what you say. Can you give me proof that Zelensky is interested in peace?" In addition to Ukrainian security interests, Russian security interests must also be taken into account. The journalist cites Ukraine's recent talks in the USA as examples of Zelensky's desire for peace, as well as Zelensky's willingness for an “energy ceasefire” suggested by Trump.

In an accompanying article, The Economist described the conversation as “rhetorical judo.” Weidel repeatedly encounters questions with counter questions instead of answers. It is often difficult to understand what it actually stands for.

As the conversation continued, Weidel claimed that it was a “myth” that the AfD wanted to leave the euro. However, this demand was still in the election program before the 2025 federal election. At the beginning of October, the media reported on a sudden change of course with reference to an internal strategy paper.

The AfD leader was also critical of the French politician Marine Le Pen from the Rassemblement National. She would make things easy for herself with her debt plans, as France is a recipient of German EU money.

It also became clear in migration policy: “100 percent of Syrian citizens” would have to leave, as would Afghans and Ukrainians, as soon as the war was over. Overall, according to Weidel, this number adds up to around “four million” people.