German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has issued a sharp rebuke of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump. He warned that the international system risks descending into lawlessness if countries fail to defend shared rules and values.
In unusually direct remarks, Steinmeier said democracy worldwide is under greater threat than ever before, in comments that appeared to reference recent developments such as the removal of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. While the German presidency is largely ceremonial, Steinmeier’s position allows him greater freedom to speak out on global issues.
He described Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a historic turning point, adding that recent actions by the United States marked a second major rupture in the postwar order.
Steinmeier said the erosion of values by Washington was particularly damaging given the US role in shaping the current international system. He warned against a world in which powerful states act without restraint and treat regions or entire countries as their own domain.
He called for active engagement to prevent further breakdowns and said countries such as Brazil and India must be persuaded to play a stronger role in safeguarding the global order.
