Candidate for German Chancellor: Crimea needs to be recognized as part of the Russian Federation
Die Welt reports that Alexander Gauland, federal spokesman for the German ultra-right party Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany), has said that the Crimea will never return to Ukraine and therefore should be recognized as part of Russia.
“The Crimea will never return to Ukraine. Sanctions do not do anything," said Gauland, who is a candidate for Chancellor of Germany from the Alternative für Deutschland party.
In addition, he is confident that the European Union should integrate Russia into the European order.
“Russia is a state in Europe, and we must integrate it into the European order. It is necessary to stop its opposition to NATO,” said Gauland.
Alternative für Deutschland consistently stands for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Moscow for the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.
Earlier, the head of the Free Democratic Party, Christian Lindner, said that the issue of the Crimea’s annexation should temporarily be considered separately from other issues in order to achieve progress in relations with the Kremlin.