Putin blames Western mistakes for AfD's success in German state election

Russian President Vladimir Putin attributed the strong performance of the far-right AfD party in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt state election to systematic mistakes by Western states in politics, security, and economics. He made these remarks during a press encounter in New Delhi. Putin claimed European governments are provoking an open conflict with Russia, unsettling their citizens, which he said is reflected in German election results. He denied that Russia threatens European countries, asserting that all questions were settled by World War II's outcome, and suggested European states are pushing their peoples toward war with Russia. The remarks come amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, which has lasted over four and a half years. Western nations accuse Russia of hybrid warfare, including cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, and Germany has attributed a drone incident near Leipzig airport to Russian intelligence services.