Putin mocks Germany and its auto industry: “We should help them”. “They are destroying their automotive sector,” Putin reportedly said during a visit to an exhibition in Moscow.
According to a Russian story, it was a Russian who helped Carl Benz build cars. Mercedes-Benz, like many other companies, had withdrawn from Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war. VDA boss Hildegard Müller also takes a critical view of the German automotive industry.