U.S. Vice President JD Vance met on Friday with Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, while on a visit to Germany, an official in Vance's office said, according to a pool report.

Alternative for Germany appears to be heading for its strongest national election result yet this month and has become a factor that can’t be ignored.

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio due to be broadcast on Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Vance's remarks as highly unusual, adding that Germany had a firewall against extreme right-wing parties for a good reason, citing Germany's past under National Socialism.

U.S. Vice President shunned Chancellor Scholz whilst in Munich on Friday, preferring to meet AfD party leader Alice Weidel, who is widely regarded as far-right. View on euronews

U.S. Vice President JD Vance's meeting with Germany's far-right AfD leader, Alice Weidel, stirs controversy. The talks revolved around the Ukraine war, German policy, and free speech. Berlin condemned Vance's actions as electoral interference.

For his meeting with Alice Weidel, the AfD’s top candidate in February 23 elections, Vance went outside of the Munich Security Conference venue

Vance met with leaders of all major German political parties, according to an official from his office - Anadolu Ajansı

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is hosting Alice Weidel, the Alternative for Germany party's candidate for chancellor, a rare meeting between a European leader and Germany’s far-right party.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday criticized reported comments by US Vice President JD Vance urging mainstream German political parties to cooperate with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).