In a powerful and historic address, Germany's President has launched a scathing critique of the United States' foreign policy direction under former President Donald Trump, warning it is actively dismantling the post-war global order.
A Stark Warning Against a 'Den of Robbers'
Speaking at a symposium on Wednesday 7 January 2026, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued an urgent plea to world leaders. He urged them to prevent the international system from disintegrating into what he vividly described as a "den of robbers," where unscrupulous actors simply seize what they desire.
Steinmeier, a former foreign minister whose role as German president is largely ceremonial but carries significant moral weight, did not mince his words. He stated that global democracy is being attacked as never before, marking a perilous moment in international relations.
Two Historic Ruptures: From Crimea to Washington
The German leader framed recent history through two seismic events. He identified Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine as the first major watershed, a blatant challenge to sovereignty and international law.
However, Steinmeier presented a second, equally damaging rupture: the conduct of the United States. "Then there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order," he declared. His remarks, delivered with unusual force, were widely interpreted as referencing the Trump administration's support for ousting Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro.
"It is about preventing 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 emphasised to his audience.
The Call for a United Front to Protect Global Stability
Looking forward, the President argued that passive observation is no longer sufficient. He called for active intervention in threatening situations to uphold the rules-based system. Crucially, he highlighted the need to engage major emerging powers, specifically naming Brazil and India, and convincing them to join efforts in protecting the existing world order.
This direct criticism from a key European ally underscores the deep fractures that emerged in transatlantic relations during the Trump presidency. Steinmeier's speech signals a profound anxiety in European diplomatic circles about the fragility of international norms and the shifting balance of global power.
