Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess has spoken out in favor of a powerful approach and the greatest possible sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The aim must be to bring about an end to the Ukraine war as soon as possible from a position of strength through negotiations at eye level, Diess said on Wednesday evening at the sidelines of an event in Hamburg.

"I believe that Europe and Germany can suffer greatly in a protracted Ukraine conflict," he added.

Asked whether Volkswagen should be worried about its business in the People's Republic against the background of China's position in the conflict, Diess replied: "We're not doing that at the moment." .

“It is also not yet possible to say what will develop from this in terms of economic policy and the national economy in Germany.

This is a very confusing situation that worries us very much," said the Volkswagen boss.

Like other German car manufacturers, the Wolfsburg-based group recently closed its business in Russia due to the war in Ukraine and halted production in Kaluga and Nizhny Novgorod until further notice.

The approximately 7,000 VW employees in Russia will continue to be paid for the time being.