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Subjects and activities: Germany wants to resume regional cooperation with Russia in 2027
Alternative for Germany intends to restore ties with Russian regions, in particular in the fields of science and culture, Bundestag deputy Matthias Mosdorf told Izvestia. Currently, in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AFD won the majority of votes, the process of forming a new government is underway, and the first practical steps are possible in 2027. According to the politician, this issue is already being discussed at the party level. According to experts, the intensification of such contacts may increase pressure on the federal government in Berlin and force it to restore the destroyed interstate cooperation.
Resumption of interregional cooperation
The Alternative for Germany, which won in Saxony-Anhalt, wants to resume cooperation with the Russian regions.
"I really expect that from the side of Saxony-Anhalt, as soon as the government is formed, we will try to resume cooperation in the scientific and cultural spheres, as well as in other areas available for interaction at the federal state level," Matthias Mosdorf, a member of the Bundestag from the AFD, told Izvestia.
According to him, concrete steps can be expected as early as 2027. At the same time, the party is discussing this issue, the parliamentarian said. The new government may be headed by AFD representative Ulrich Sigmund. The vote for the candidacy of the Prime Minister of the earth is scheduled to take place in December.
— Until the government is formed, until all positions are distributed, and then Christmas is already there. Therefore, I do not think that anything significant will happen in this direction before then. But I know from some cultural institutions that they would really like to establish ties with Russia again," the politician said.
According to Fedor Basov, senior researcher at IMEMO RAS, the restoration of cooperation could begin with unblocking contacts between Saxony-Anhalt and one of the Russian regions. By the way, in the late 1990s, the authorities of this German land concluded a partnership agreement with the Chuvash Republic, and in the mid-2000s, a protocol on cooperation with the administration of the Altai Territory. However, for now it may be mainly about public relations, rather than political interaction.
Alexander Kotov, a leading researcher at the Center for German Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that the restoration of cooperation between the regions of Russia and Germany could begin with projects that do not require direct coordination with the federal government of Germany.
In particular, we are talking about the exchange of experience in the field of waste recycling, "green" economy, urbanism and housing construction, as well as joint research projects of universities. In addition, the expert highlights food security, the development of digital services, logistics and infrastructure among promising areas.
Since 2022, Germany has begun to consistently destroy ties with the Russian Federation, lobbying for tougher EU sanctions, as well as expelling Russian diplomats. In September 2026, the authorities closed the Russian House in Berlin and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Bonn. As a response, Moscow has withdrawn its consent to the operation of the last German Consulate General outside the capital, in St. Petersburg. At the same time, the Russian authorities ordered the complete curtailment of the activities of the branches of the Goethe-Institut.
The success of the AfD in the elections
The AFD actively opposes further aggravation of relations with Moscow. In early October, the media reported, citing polls, that the rating of Alternative for Germany had reached 30% for the first time, and support for the ruling CDU/CSU bloc had dropped to a record 18%.
In the September 6 elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the AFD won 43.8% of the vote, winning 39 out of 83 seats. Although the other parties could mathematically form a majority, they are divided by internal prohibitions on cooperation and disagreements. For example, the CDU categorically refuses to work with the "Left", which is why the opponents of the AFD cannot sit down at the same table to create a coalition. As a result, Alternative for Germany has a real chance to lead the region. Moreover, in Saxony-Anhalt, the party has a potential partner ready to provide support in parliament — the Sarah Wagenknecht Union.
Fedor Basov, a senior researcher at IMEMO RAS, believes that the AfD will most likely have time to form a government in Saxony-Anhalt before the Christmas holidays. However, if a minority cabinet is created, which will have to seek support from individual deputies from other factions, such a political structure will prove to be extremely unstable.
At the same time, even obtaining a majority will not allow regional authorities to significantly influence German federal policy. They will still have the opportunity to speak at the conference of prime ministers of the lands and work in the Bundesrat, but they will not be able to change Berlin's foreign policy course, the expert concluded.
This year, the AfD also won in Mecklenburg–Vorpommern, but the situation with the distribution of seats there turned out to be fundamentally different. The party's opponents (the SPD, the Left and the Greens) received a total of 39 seats out of 71. This allows them to completely isolate the "Alternative for Germany" and form a government on their own.
According to Alexander Kotov, the development of inter-regional contacts alone will not lead to normalization of relations between Moscow and Berlin, since foreign policy falls within the competence of the German federal government. However, the intensification of such cooperation could increase pressure on Berlin from the federal states interested in restoring ties with Russia. It would become more difficult for the central authorities of Germany to ignore this request, and the projects themselves would help create an atmosphere of trust for the resumption of dialogue and the subsequent transition to a larger-scale economic partnership, the expert concluded.
Historically, Germany has been Russia's key trade and economic partner in Europe, and both sides have benefited from this partnership. Berlin's decision to sever ties has already turned into problems for the German economy itself, provoking, for example, rising energy prices and the deindustrialization of leading industrial sectors.
Against this background, an internal demand for normalization of relations with Moscow is increasing in a number of European countries. Moreover, the United States, led by Donald Trump, is now demonstrating its readiness for a pragmatic dialogue with Russia on key international security issues.
The turning point may be the French presidential election in the spring of 2027, where Marine Le Pen firmly holds the leadership. If she wins, Paris may withdraw from the harsh anti-Russian camp on the Ukrainian crisis. In these circumstances, Germany will inevitably face a choice — to continue its inertial course contrary to its own interests and to the detriment of its citizens, or to pragmatically reconsider its foreign policy strategy.
If the ruling circles of Germany refuse to change course amid worsening economic problems, the popularity of the "Alternative for Germany" will continue to grow. In the long term, this may pave the way for the party to power at the federal level.
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