Volkswagen CEO Calls for End of War, Negotiations on Peace in Ukraine

Yesterday, the boss of Volkswagen called for the EU to pursue a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine for the sake of the continent’s economy, an intervention that challenges the stance taken by European leaders. “I think we should do the utmost to really stop this war and get back to negotiations and get back to trying to open up the world again,” Herbert Diess told the Financial Times’ Future of the Car summit. “I think we should not give up on open markets and free trade, and I think we should not give up on negotiating and trying to settle.” Diess has previously warned that a drawn-out war would do more damage to Germany and Europe than the Covid-19 pandemic.