BERLIN, Nov 11, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The co-leader of the Alternative for Germany on Tuesday criticised party colleagues for agreeing to travel to Russia as the far-right party faces allegations of possible espionage and cozying up to the Kremlin.

Several AfD politicians announced plans to attend a symposium in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi this week, drawing extensive criticism in Germany given Moscow's hostile relations with the country.

"I cannot understand what they are actually supposed to do there, to put it bluntly," AfD co-chair Alice Weidel told reporters.

Last week, senior lawmakers from other German political parties -- including the conservative chairman of Germany's intelligence oversight committee -- accused AfD politicians of spying for Russia by filing scores of detailed parliamentary inquiries on sensitive subjects.

The upcoming trip to Sochi was raised repeatedly during a parliament debate on the allegations, along with other close ties that some AfD politicians maintain with Russia.

A meeting with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, a hardline supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was reportedly on the agenda but has since been forbidden by AfD leaders.

Weidel, who has sought to make the AfD a major force in German politics, defended the party's more open stance toward Russia but said there is very little to be gained from the Sochi visit.

One AfD MP, Rainer Rothfuss, had been talked out of the trip, Weidel said. Another, Steffen Kotre, has stuck to his plans.

Weidel promised an overhaul of how the AfD approves foreign travel for party members, and said that guidance would be strictly enforced with penalties including expulsion.

"The process must be clearly structured, because things cannot continue like this in the future," Weidel said.

"There is a great deal of dissatisfaction, precisely because these trips serve no purpose whatsoever."