German President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier has sharply criticised U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump, warning that current actions risk undermining the international order and allowing powerful nations to act with impunity. Steinmeier’s unusually strong remarks came at a symposium in Berlin, where he urged the world not to let the global system collapse into what he described as a “den of robbers” in which the most unscrupulous take whatever they want.
His comments were widely seen as a rebuke of recent U.S. actions, including the ousting of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, which many analysts say challenge core principles of international law and norms.
Although the German presidency is largely ceremonial, Steinmeier’s words carry symbolic weight and reflect deep concern in parts of Europe about the direction of global governance.
Steinmeier emphasised that the current situation represents a second historic rupture, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, and lamented what he called a breakdown of values by the United States, a country that historically helped build the post‑World War II world order.
Steinmeier warned that allowing unilateral actions without broad international consensus could erode democratic norms and weaken the rules‑based system that has underpinned global stability for decades.
German President stressed the importance of active engagement by the international community, urging major emerging powers such as Brazil and India to join efforts to defend and uphold the global order in the face of rising geopolitical tensions.
The German president’s critique underscores growing unease among some U.S. allies about the trajectory of American foreign policy and its impact on long‑standing institutions and alliances. His remarks have added to a broader debate within Europe and beyond over how to respond to shifts in global power dynamics and perceived unilateralism, as world leaders reassess their approaches to international cooperation and collective security.
