AfD Meets Gazprom's Miller in Moscow to Push Nord Stream Revival
A 200 billion euro energy bailout from 2022 fuels AfD's argument for restored Russian gas, but Germany's governing parties show no sign of following.
Germany's 2022 government rescue of energy companies and consumers carried a 200 billion euro price tag — and a War on the Rocks analysis published Wednesday (2026-09-02) puts that figure at the centre of the revived debate over whether Berlin should seek a Russian gas reset.7
ICE Endex TTF front-month settled at €69.77/MWh on Tuesday (2026-09-01), up 4.46% on the session, while THE M+1 contract added 5.27% to €70.97/MWh. German baseload power closed at €148.08/MWh the same day. European gas costs remain elevated enough to keep the economic case for cheaper supply politically alive in Germany, even as the infrastructure that once delivered it lies wrecked on the Baltic seabed.7
On June 3rd and 4th (2026-06-03, 2026-06-04), AfD foreign policy spokesman Markus Frohnmaier traveled to Russia and met Alexei Miller, the head of Gazprom and a long-standing confidant of Vladimir Putin, in discussions centred on the Nord Stream pipeline and a full resumption of Russian gas deliveries to Germany. Frohnmaier also met Kirill Dmitriev, one of Putin's top advisers, during the same visit.2,5,4
"Germany is caught in a severe economic downward spiral, and a key driver of this is the high cost of energy," Frohnmaier said after the meetings. "That is why all options must be put back on the table."5
The AfD holds no cabinet posts. Berlin's governing parties moved quickly to distance themselves. Jürgen Hardt, CDU/CSU's foreign policy spokesman, told public broadcaster ARD the AfD engagement was "counterproductive." Marc Henrichmann, a CDU lawmaker chairing the Bundestag's intelligence oversight panel, warned the Moscow trip posed security risks.3
The physical reality of Nord Stream complicates the revival argument. Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were blown up on September 26th, 2022. The War on the Rocks analysis notes that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder has pointed out that one strand of Nord Stream 2 remains technically functional and that repairs to the damaged sections are theoretically possible. But the piece also observes that it is difficult to imagine a government mustering the political will to act on that possibility.7,1
The legal backdrop is equally unresolved. Poland refused in May (2026-05-19) to extradite a Nord Stream suspect, Volodymyr Zhuravlev, to Germany — a move The Economist described as worsening bilateral relations. Whether Zhuravlev carried any responsibility for the September 2022 blasts has not been legally established.1
Since the pipeline cuts, European buyers rebuilt gas supply through other means. Several countries increased purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas transported by sea, creating a different form of supply exposure and one without fixed pipeline infrastructure. EU legislation passed since 2022 also constrains how member states can structure new long-term contracts with Russian gas suppliers.6
The 200 billion euro bailout figure now cuts both ways in German political discourse. Proponents of re-engagement with Moscow cite it as evidence of the damage that losing Russian pipeline gas inflicted. Opponents cite the same number as proof that another cycle of dependence would be reckless. Both sides are drawing on the same data point for opposite conclusions.7
The AfD's Moscow contacts are easy for the governing coalition to dismiss as freelance diplomacy. Whether that dismissal holds through the coming months depends on gas prices more than on AfD manoeuvring. TTF gained 4.46% on Tuesday (2026-09-01); if that direction is sustained, the 200 billion euro reference stops being an AfD talking point and becomes a charge the parties in power have to answer.7