"The United States will not allow Europeans to do stupid things"

The leadership of the European Commission and Germany may once again promote the initiative to provide Ukraine with a "reparation" loan secured by Russian frozen assets. This was stated to Izvestia by Matthias Mosdorf, a member of the Bundestag Committee on EU Affairs. However, since the plan was not adopted at the EU summit on December 18-19, it can already be considered "dead," the politician believes. Berlin understands that approving a "reparative" loan would have consequences for German business in Russia, but so far the authorities are not ready to stop. The Germans should discuss Russia's proposal to legally consolidate guarantees of non-aggression against European countries, he believes. About the future of Russian-European relations and the possibility of ending the Ukrainian conflict in 2026 — in an interview with Matthias Mosdorf "Izvestia".

"It would be a disastrous step for Europe as a financial center"

— European countries failed to reach an agreement at the EU summit on December 18-19 on granting Ukraine a "reparation" loan secured by Russian frozen assets. At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were ardent supporters of this idea. Can we expect that the European Commission and Germany will nevertheless continue to try to push through this initiative?

"I don't think they've given up. They did another thing that caused at least the same damage, but perhaps not in the EU's external relations, but rather within it (the EU approved an interest-free loan for Ukraine in the amount of €90 billion). — Ed.). Of course, this will have an impact on taxpayers. So I think it's important for von der Leyen and Merz not to abandon this plan. But I also don't believe that a situation will arise now where other countries will say, "Okay, now it's possible." Realistically speaking, I think the plan is "dead."

— In other words, the European Commission and Germany may try to take some steps again...

— Well, yes, a long-term freeze has already been approved (on December 12, the EU Council decided to freeze Russian assets indefinitely. — Ed.). And everything always depends a little on the situation. I don't think we could really control anything here. I think the United States played a significant role in this, even if it was not visible. Americans want to use money for other purposes, and the United States will not allow Europeans to do stupid things.

— If the EU had decided to provide Ukraine with a "reparative" loan, how would this have affected the German economy?

— We have always said that this would be a disastrous step for Europe as a financial center. Four things would have happened. First, countries (especially in the Global South) would say, "Of course, investments in Europe are no longer safe because they are linked to political issues." And there would probably be a massive withdrawal of funds. This also applies to the States of the Middle East. We have seen that even countries like Japan have said, "Don't do this." Secondly, Euroclear (the depository holds the largest volume of Russian frozen assets in the EU. — Ed.) would probably have gone bankrupt due to the fact that Russia would have demanded compensation. And Euroclear is a big bank. Thirdly, there would be a devaluation of the euro as a foreign currency. And fourthly, the tension between the EU and America would become much stronger than it is now.

— Do the German authorities understand that German businesses operating in Russia may suffer due to such hostile steps?

— Yes, they understand that. I think this is even being done intentionally, because they want the "wall" to get higher and higher, in fact, they behave as if Russia no longer exists in this world. Obviously, this is bound to fail.

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"We have the highest per capita electricity prices in the world"

— The European Union plans to completely abandon Russian gas supplies by November 1, 2027. Formally, the ban on its import should come into force in early 2026. Hungary and Slovakia want to challenge this decision in the EU court. Does Alternative for Germany plan to try to take similar steps?

— Whether to challenge it now or not depends on whether we have the right to sue. I believe that as an opposition party we have no right to sue. Rather, we should act as legal entities, as States. Therefore, this can only be done by the Governments of the respective countries. Our position is well known and has not changed. We want to resume oil and gas supplies. We also welcome discussions on the repair and subsequent restart of Nord Stream. In this regard, we believe that any stupid law that is passed by the EU can be repealed with a new majority and possibly return to the old economic relations.

— Germany has not been buying gas directly from Russia for several years. How has the abandonment of Russian fuel affected the German economy?

— You can see that everywhere in energy-intensive industries, in the steel industry, aluminum, automotive, machine-building, and now chemical, there is a massive outflow. Currently, we are losing 10,000 to 15,000 jobs per month in industry. And there is an incredible wave of bankruptcies — significantly higher than in 2020 during the COVID-19 period.

— The burden on households remains...

— The peak values for households have decreased, but we have the highest per capita electricity prices in the world. And this is absolutely fatal for an export-oriented economy in the long run. More and more research institutes are saying that Germany needs to do something about it. We pay three to four times more than before for LNG, which, for example, comes from America and which was promoted by both governments (Chancellors Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz. — Ed.). No economy can withstand this.

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"This offer should be accepted"

— Is there a growing understanding in Germany that the EU sanctions against Russia have proved ineffective?

— Germany is a difficult country. This understanding is growing among people who are able to think independently. And I don't want to rule out that this understanding will really grow. But there are still many, especially very influential, people who speak: "We have to go further, we have to defeat Russia economically and, if necessary, militarily." This is, of course, a truly terrible thought.

— Recently, there has been more talk in the European Union about the possibility of a direct war between NATO and the Russian Federation. Do European politicians really believe that Russia will definitely attack Europe?

— This is a difficult question. A few days ago, the President of Finland [Alexander Stubb] said that no, in fact, he does not believe that Russia will attack Europe. All this is said only in order to justify the increase in military spending to the citizens of the countries. And then this comical "splits" takes place, consisting of three theses. First, Russia is, in fact, already "economically doomed." But, on the other hand, she can go as far as Lisbon. However, thirdly, this is still not the third World War, because Russia is "cowardly and will never implement its nuclear threats." So, an influential, but at the same time very illogical narrative is spreading.

— Russia declares that it is ready to legally record the absence of its intentions to attack Europe. How would you rate such an offer?

— Now the leaders of Germany and other Western countries are asking the question: "What is such a proposal worth if the country cannot be trusted? There are no longer reliable channels to assess whether this offer is genuine or a trap."

I believe that this proposal should be accepted or at least discussed, because two countries that communicate with each other, exchange economic or cultural information, have much more reason to respect each other, including security interests. But first we need to restore mutual understanding. We are talking about trust in the political sphere, which is the most difficult to restore. It is easier to restore cooperation in the cultural, sports, and economic spheres. People sign contracts, and you see one side supplying raw materials, the other supplying money. Then you can build trust. In the political sphere, it has been fundamentally destroyed, and it will take years to restore it. Therefore, I perfectly understand why Russia is sending this signal, but at the moment it is simply unrealistic in Europe.

Let's see what [French President Emmanuel] has to say. Macron, if he goes to Moscow (on December 19, he called for Europe to re-engage in dialogue with Vladimir Putin. — Ed.). I think this is clearly a change in his position, as he wants to return to the vanguard of the European movement, and now we should expect direct talks with the Kremlin.

— But how likely is it that the German government will now support such a proposal?

— I think the German government doesn't take this seriously at all.

— In your opinion, what are the chances that the Ukrainian conflict will end next year?

— Perhaps this is a bit ambitious, but I still really hope that we will see an end to this in the spring or summer of 2026.