AfD co-leader Alice Weidel on Ukraine, migration and Germany’s future | The Economist

Interview Summary

In an interview with The Economist, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel set out her case for changing Germany’s economic, energy, migration and foreign policies. Interviewer Zanny Minton Beddoes repeatedly pressed her to explain how the party’s proposals would work and to address concerns about its more extreme elements.

Economy and energy

Weidel described Germany as being in a deep economic crisis, blaming high energy costs, bureaucracy and what she called the failure of the Energiewende. She argued that shutting down nuclear power plants and relying heavily on wind and solar energy had made Germany dependent on costly energy imports and weakened its industry.

She advocated cutting red tape and energy-transition subsidies. She said the AfD’s tax cuts and pension proposals could be funded by reducing other spending. Beddoes questioned whether those plans would actually reduce deficits, given their likely costs.

The EU and the euro

Weidel said the AfD wants to reform the EU into a looser association of sovereign states with a free-trade area, rather than leave it outright. She argued that the euro is unstable and that Germany needs a stable currency, but did not give a direct answer on whether Germany should leave the eurozone. She also warned that high public debt across Europe could trigger a bond-market crisis.

Defence and Ukraine

Weidel said Germany should increase spending on its own defence capabilities but stop financing and arming Ukraine, and push for immediate peace negotiations. She called the war costly and dangerous for Germany, argued that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia, and said any settlement must take Russian security concerns into account.

She criticised Ukraine’s attacks inside Russia as risky, while also acknowledging that Russia’s invasion was unjustified and that Ukraine is a sovereign country. Beddoes challenged her position, arguing that cutting support could leave Ukraine unable to defend itself and that Russia may threaten other European countries.

Migration and “remigration”

Weidel defined remigration as enforcing existing laws by deporting people whose asylum claims have been rejected, people who entered illegally and people who commit crimes. She also argued that Syrians and Afghans should return when the grounds for their refuge no longer apply, and that Ukrainians should leave after the war.

When challenged over whether this could mean millions of people, Weidel distinguished asylum seekers from skilled workers, saying qualified workers who contribute to Germany should be welcome. She cited security, integration and pressure on public services as concerns.

Beddoes raised the potential loss of skilled workers, including Syrian doctors, and questioned language in an AfD state manifesto opposing “culturally alien” skilled workers. Weidel defended the wording as concerning integration and social norms, not religion or skin colour.

Social policy and the far right

Weidel described herself as a libertarian conservative, supported a traditional family model and opposed what she called “gender ideology,” while saying people should be free to live their private lives.

Beddoes cited proposals in a regional AfD manifesto and allegations of neo-Nazi associations and Nazi slogans involving party figures. Weidel rejected the accusations, denied that the AfD is extremist and said comparisons with the Third Reich are used to damage the party’s reputation. She described the party’s stated priorities—including secure borders, safe streets and schools, and national history education—as common-sense policies.

The political “firewall”

Weidel criticised other parties’ refusal to cooperate with the AfD, saying it harms the CDU and strengthens the left. She said the CDU should take the first step toward cooperation, but that the AfD would not compromise on its principal policies.

Presenters and contributors

• Zanny Minton Beddoes — interviewer; editor-in-chief of The Economist
• Alice Weidel — AfD co-leader and interviewee