German president accuses US of destroying world order

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has criticised the United States’ foreign policy under President Donald Trump, warning that the world must not fall into chaos and disorder.

In a strong speech at a symposium, Steinmeier spoke about growing threats to global democracy and international stability, comments that appeared to link to recent events such as the removal of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

His remarks came at a time when global tensions are rising and many countries are watching American foreign policy closely. 

Steinmeier, whose role in Germany is mostly ceremonial but still carries moral weight, stressed that the current direction of US actions is undermining the international system that was built after World War II. He said, “Then there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order.” 

He made it clear that he does not want a world where powerful countries take whatever they want without rules.

In his words, it is vital to prevent “the world from turning into a den of robbers, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want, where regions or entire countries are treated as the property of a few great powers.” 

Steinmeier pointed to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a major turning point in world affairs. He then said that recent US conduct represents another serious break with the values that have held the international order together.