Ruptures on the right: The Franco-German far right after Ukraine

The 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted a crucial reassessment of European security by the European far right. While some parties remained firmly pro-Kremlin, others embraced a form of Atlanticism, though often lukewarm. With the far right gaining ground globally, it is time to take a closer look at how the European far right’s policies on Russia have evolved since 2022. This report examines why two of Europe’s key players, France’s Rassemblement National and Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland, adopted diverging positions on Russia’s invasion. To understand this puzzle, we examine the parties’ differing policies on Ukraine, their historic ties to Russia, and their evolving positions on key issues in transatlantic security. We argue that these differences in policy are less rooted in different electoral strategies, although these matter too, than in a growing rift in what was until recently a shared vision of European geography and destiny.