AfD Youth and Putin's "Young Guard" Together at Last

This makes perfect sense:  According to a report in Der Spiegel, the youth wing of the extreme right-wing party Alternative for Germany ("AfD") has formed an alliance with the Hitler Putin Youth:

Die Kontakte der rechtspopulistischen AfD nach Russland vertiefen sich. Vertreter der AfD-Jugendorganisation Junge Alternative (JA) und der Jungen Garde der Putin-Partei Einiges Russland haben nach SPIEGEL-Informationen beschlossen, ein Bündnis einzugehen. "Auf dem ganzen europäischen Kontinent werden eurokritische und souveränistische Bewegungen immer stärker", deshalb sei es für die Junge Alternative "selbstverständlich, diese Aktivitäten in einem neuen Jugendnetzwerk zu bündeln", sagte JA-Chef Markus Frohnmaier dem SPIEGEL. "Da dürfe Russland nicht fehlen." In der Außenpolitik müsse Deutschland endlich "seine vitalen nationalen Interessen vertreten" und dürfe nicht "Kindergärtner der Welt" sein.

(The contacts between the right-wing populist AfD and Russia are getting serious.  Representatives of the AfD youth organization Junge Alternative (JA) and the Young Guard of Putin's United Russia Party have decided to form an alliance, according to information obtained by Der Spiegel. "EU-critical and sovereign movements are growing stronger all across the continent" so it makes sense for the Junge Alternative "to organize these activities within the framework of a new network of youth," JA Leader Markus Frohmeier told Der Spiegel. "Russia must be part of this." Germany must finally "represent its own vital national interests" in its foreign policy and no long act like "the world's kindergartner.")

The AfD's vice chair Alexander Gauland welcomed this initiative, noting that he was recently in Russia and met with Alexander Dugin (aka "Putin's Brain"), the fascist philosopher. 

Frohnmeyer and other AfD officials also made a visit to Russian-occupied Crimea - without permission of the Ukraine.   Ukraine's ambassador to Germany was incensed:

So hat der Botschafter der Ukraine in Berlin, Andrij Melnyk, beim Auswärtigen Amt eine Protestnote eingereicht, weil Markus Frohnmaier und der AfD-Europaabgeordnete Marcus Pretzell ohne Erlaubnis der ukrainischen Behörden auf die von Russland annektierte Krim reisten. "Eine illegale Einreise auf die Krim ist kein Kavaliersdelikt, sondern eine gravierende Straftat", sagte Melnyk dem SPIEGEL. Die Bundesregierung solle "alle notwendigen Schritte unternehmen, um eine solche Verletzung ukrainischer Gesetze in Zukunft zu unterbinden".

Leaders of the AfD have called for Germany to leave the NATO alliance and forge closer ties with Putin's Russia. 

Comments

[Zyme]

Well if we look at the last century: whenever the USA meddled in European affairs, it turned out badly from a German perspective.

Finding a common ground with Russia might be more effective and free us from US interference via Nato.

[KR]

When I look back at the last century it turned badly from a German perspective when Germany meddled in European affairs - at least twice.
The exceptions - the Ostpolitik of Brandt and the reuninifcation - both were organized in cooperation with the USA. According to the autobiography of Egon Bahr Kissinger had supported the German policy of détente loyally.
Today military interests will dominate as long as there is no constructive European foreign policy. The Europeans have to put their own house in order instead of blaming the USA.

[Zyme]

I don't blame the USA for anything. I simply think Germans are way better off without US influence in Europe.

Even the great conflicts you mentioned would have worked out without US intervention.
Now imagine what would be possible for Berlin if we Germans don't engage with everyone at the same time.

[KR]

> Even the great conflicts you mentioned would have worked out without US intervention.
That's nonsense. Without US interventions both wars would have been prolonged.

[koogleschreiber]

@ Zyme: Interesting.