Tino Chrupalla, federal co-chairman of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD), demanded US troops stationed in Germany leave the country.
“Let’s begin to put into practice what our party manifesto says by withdrawing US troops from Germany,” Chrupalla told a party conference in Löbau in Saxony.
Distancing itself from the US would help Germany improve its relations with Iran after the Islamic Republic had closed the Strait of Hormuz to most ships, Chrupalla argued.
He commended the example set by Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, saying: “Dear friends, ships under Spanish flag are allowed to pass the Strait. Why are the Spaniards allowed to cross? Because Spain has closed its bases for the Iran war. And that is totally right. Spain does not get involved in this war.”
The USA currently have around 38,000 soldiers stationed throughout Germany. The biggest base is the Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate, where around 9,000 US soldiers are stationed.
Previously, the 50-year-old AfD leader had blamed Germany’s refugee crisis on the US and Israel, saying wars – such as the Iran war conducted by both countries – were the main reason driving refugees.
“These wars are not about freedom and peace, but about oil and dollars. For years people said the US was waging a war on terror… Now they want to tell us they are fighting against Islamism in Iran,” he said.
However, Chrupalla continued, “We have heard this story too often already. US authorities themselves are saying that Iran did not want to attack anybody. Iran was not on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb.”
The AfD stood for non-intervention, Chrupalla added.
“We are – and that is our party manifesto – we are against interfering in the internal affairs of other countries because we can see what comes of it: Death, destruction, expensive energy, refugees. And that is exactly what AfD stands for. We will not get involved in other countries’ wars. We want to stay out of them, dear friends,” he said.
Tino Chrupalla has served as co-chairman of the AfD together with Alice Weidel since 2019.
Born in the Communist German Democratic Republic, he comes from the party’s strong eastern German bloc – often characterised by more sympathy for Vladimir Putin and Russia and a more anti-American stance than its western German counterpart which includes party leader Weidel.
Chrupalla’s remarks illustrate a growing distancing of more right-wing European leaders from the US and the administration of US President Donald Trump.
A prime reason for this distancing is that, in the eyes of many on the German Right, Trump broke his election promises of non-interventionism with US operations in recent months against Venezuela and Iran.
