AfD lead candidate to step down from party board
Maximilian Krah, Alternative for Germanyâs lead candidate in the European parliament elections, said he will refrain from making any further campaign appearances and step down from the partyâs leadership board.
Krah has been embroiled in multiple controversies over the past weeks. In a recent interview, the far-right politician said he would ânever say that anyone who wore an SS uniform was automatically a criminal@.
The comment led Franceâs National Rally to declare it will not sit with the AfD in the next parliament, highlighting divisions within Europeâs far-right and nationalist camp weeks ahead of the European elections.
Man kann nie tiefer fallen als in Gottes Hand. Ich nehme zur Kenntnis, dass sachliche und differenzierte Aussagen von mir als Vorwand missbraucht werden, um unserer Partei zu schaden. Das Letzte, was wir derzeit brauchen, ist eine Debatte um mich. Die AfD muss ihre Einigkeitâ¦
— Dr. Maximilian Krah MdEP (@KrahMax) May 22, 2024
Key events
‘We will stop them’: Greens push back against AfD
Terry Reintke, a Green lead candidate in the European elections, has argued that despite Maximilian Krahâs move to step down from the AfDâs leadership board, Alternative for Germany is still extremist.
âOne thing does not change: the AfD and its right-wing extremist friends are Putinâs extended arm in the EP,â she said.
âThey want to destroy the EU and our democracy. We will stop them,â she added.
Der AfD-Spitzenkandidat Krah ist aus dem Bundesvorstand zurückgetreten.
Aber eins ändert sich nicht: Die AfD und ihre rechtsextremen Freunde sind der verlängerte Arm Putins im EP.
Sie wollen die EU und unsere Demokratie kaputt machen.
Wir werden sie stoppen.
— Terry Reintke (@TerryReintke) May 22, 2024
‘As soon as possible’: Zelenskiy calls for ‘prompt assistance’
Ukraineâs Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reiterated a sense of urgency this morning.
âIn order to destroy the enemy, deter Russian pressure, and achieve the results necessary for Ukraine, we need prompt assistance from our partners,â he wrote on social media.
âOur warriors must be able to use the necessary weapons as soon as possible. This is the only way we can ensure the Ukrainian result we all need,â he added.
In order to destroy the enemy, deter Russian pressure, and achieve the results necessary for Ukraine, we need prompt assistance from our partners. Our warriors must be able to use the necessary weapons as soon as possible. This is the only way we can ensure the Ukrainian result⦠pic.twitter.com/8npYLmmQTg
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / ÐÐ¾Ð»Ð¾Ð´Ð¸Ð¼Ð¸Ñ ÐеленÑÑкий (@ZelenskyyUa) May 22, 2024
Kremlin criticises EU plan to use revenue from frozen assets
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlinâs spokesperson, said today that Russia would regard the seizure of revenue from its frozen assets in the EU as a violation of all norms of the global economic system, and that Moscow is still working on its response, Reuters reported.
Yesterday, the Council of the EU approved using net profits stemming from frozen Russian assets to be used for military support to Ukraine, defence industry capacities and reconstruction.
Who sits where?
In the current European parliament, far-right and nationalist parties are split.
Thereâs the Identity and Democracy group, which brings together Franceâs National Rally, Alternative for Germany, Austriaâs Freedom Party, Belgiumâs Vlaams Belang, and Italyâs Lega, among others.
But there are tensions between the French and German parties, and Marine Le Pen said today that her party needs a âclean breakâ from Alternative for Germany.
Then thereâs the European Conservatives and Reformists group, which is seen within Brussels as more mainstream. It includes, however, a diverse mix of parties, such as Giorgia Meloniâs Brothers of Italy, Polandâs conservative Law and Justice, Spainâs far-right Vox and the Czech prime minister Petr Fialaâs Civic Democratic Party.
Viktor Orbánâs Fidesz party is not currently a member of any grouping, but could formally try to join the ECR after the elections.
Le Pen calls for ‘clean break’ with Alternative for Germany
Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, has said her National Rally party needed to make a âclean breakâ with the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Reuters reported.
In a radio interview, Le Pen accused the AfD of being rudderless and in hock to radical elements within it.
âIt was urgent to establish a cordon sanitaire,â she said on Europe 1 radio. âThe AfD goes from provocation to provocation,â she said.
âNow itâs no longer time to distance ourselves, itâs time to make a clean break with this movement,â she added.
In a recent interview, the AfDâs lead candidate, Maximilian Krah, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that âSS were not all criminalsâ.
The comment led Le Penâs party to declare it will not sit with the AfD in the next parliament. Both Le Penâs National Rally and the AfD are now members of the Identity and Democracy grouping in the European parliament.
This morning, Krah announced that he will stop campaigning and step down from the AfDâs leadership board.
The AfD â and Krah himself â have been embroiled in multiple controversies in recent months.
Last month, one of Krahâs aides was arrested over accusations he spied for China.
AfD lead candidate to step down from party board
Maximilian Krah, Alternative for Germanyâs lead candidate in the European parliament elections, said he will refrain from making any further campaign appearances and step down from the partyâs leadership board.
Krah has been embroiled in multiple controversies over the past weeks. In a recent interview, the far-right politician said he would ânever say that anyone who wore an SS uniform was automatically a criminal@.
The comment led Franceâs National Rally to declare it will not sit with the AfD in the next parliament, highlighting divisions within Europeâs far-right and nationalist camp weeks ahead of the European elections.
Man kann nie tiefer fallen als in Gottes Hand. Ich nehme zur Kenntnis, dass sachliche und differenzierte Aussagen von mir als Vorwand missbraucht werden, um unserer Partei zu schaden. Das Letzte, was wir derzeit brauchen, ist eine Debatte um mich. Die AfD muss ihre Einigkeitâ¦
— Dr. Maximilian Krah MdEP (@KrahMax) May 22, 2024
A Russian attack on Chuhuiv in Ukraineâs Kharkiv region wounded at least seven people this morning, the regionâs governor said, Reuters reported.
Russian forces attacked Chuhuiv with S-400 missiles, causing damage to a kindergarten and a private residence, according to preliminary information from the Kharkiv regionâs police.
Ukraine shoots down Shahed drones
Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that overnight âthe Ukrainian Defense Forces managed to shoot down all 24 Shaheds,â Ukrinform reports.
One killed, three injured in Donetsk region, Ukrainian official says
The head of the Donetsk regional state administration, Vadym Filashkin, said in a social media post this morning that âon May 21st, the number of the victims of the Russians in Donetsk oblast increased by 1 killed, 3 injured.â
Ukrainian official pushes for US to lift ban on using American weapons to strike targets in Russia
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the secretary of Ukraineâs national security and defence council, told the Financial Times that Washington should lift its âabsolutely unfairâ ban on the Ukrainian armed forces using American-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
Lytvynenko said âit would be beneficialâ for Kyiv if the Biden administration lifted that restriction.