On the background of Trump’s present efforts on ending the war in Ukraine, there is now some more visible motion in Germany by opposition forces, to pick up on the dynamic.

A few days ago, AfD foreign policy experts Markus Frohnmaier, foreign policy spokesperson and deputy parliamentary group leader; Stefan Keuter, deputy parliamentary group leader; and Gerold Otten, deputy head of the parliamentary group’s foreign affairs working group, presented in Berlin two position papers: one on cooperation with the U.S. under President Trump and the other on Ukraine-Russia policy.

In the paper on Russia, they advocate for a neutral Ukraine that should not be allowed to become a member of either NATO or the EU. They also demand an end to support for Ukraine. At the same time, they are calling for a rapprochement with Russia, an end of sanctions, the resumption of operations of the Nord Stream Baltic Sea gas pipeline and a halt to military aid for Ukraine.

The foreign policy experts write: “The war in Ukraine is a tragedy that should be ended as quickly as possible.” They call for a “peaceful solution that takes into account the security interests of all parties to the conflict.”

Ukraine should not be a member of either NATO or the EU and should “once again become a neutral state.” Its sovereignty must be accepted by Russia. But, regaining all territories by Ukraine, including Crimea, is unrealistic. Ukraine’s statehood “and the territory remaining to it following a ceasefire or peace agreement” should be secured by guarantor powers that, as far as possible, are not involved in the current conflict.