The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, aimed a tirade at Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday in a heated parliamentary debate.
Responding to Merz's address in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, Weidel called his speech a "swan song" and warned that the country's economic base is being undermined by "high taxes and energy costs, bureaucracy and a planned economy."
She accused the government of wasting billions on costs linked to migration, development aid, the energy transition and climate adaptation measures.
The AfD, Germany's largest opposition party, is under investigation by domestic intelligence services for its extremist anti-immigrant views.
It has also been accused of sympathizing with Moscow, with several of the party's lawmakers having recently travelled to Russia to participate in the Kremlin's economic forum in St Petersburg.
After Merz pledged Berlin's ongoing support for Ukraine in his address, Weidel accused the chancellor of wanting to draw Germany into the war.
"No, Ukraine can never become a member of the European Union and NATO. Full stop," she added.
The AfD co-leader further blasted Merz's coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), labelling the party "anti-German" and calling on the chancellor to seek "new constructive majorities" - with the AfD - in parliament.
All mainstream parties in Germany refuse to collaborate with the far-right AfD in a policy known as the "firewall." Merz has repeatedly rejected working with the party.
