Steffen Kotré and Rainer Rothfuß are scheduled to be in Sochi from Nov. 13 to 16, according to the report. On Nov. 17, they will take part in the so-called BRICS-Europe International Symposium, where Rothfuß is set to deliver a speech. Internal party documents show the trip has been budgeted at EUR4,050 ($4,650) and EUR2,000 ($2,290). Stefan Keuter, head of the AfD’s foreign policy working group, confirmed he approved the journey.
“I approved this trip because it’s time to intensify contacts with Russia,” Keuter said.
“After our recent intensive relations with the United States, it’s now important to strengthen our good contacts with Russia.”
Kotré has visited Russia several times. In 2018, he served as an observer at Russia’s largely performative presidential election in Moscow and said afterward he found “no violations.” Rothfuß visited Sochi in 2023 and posted a video from his hotel room in a bathrobe with the caption, “This is Russia groaning under sanctions.”
On Oct. 8, three AfD members of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament attended a birthday celebration for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at Russia’s embassy in Berlin.