Item 1 of 2 German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech at his Bellevue Palace residency in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2025. Maryam Majd\/Pool via REUTERS\/File Photo<\/p>\n
[1\/2]<\/b>German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech at his Bellevue Palace residency in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2025. Maryam Majd\/Pool via REUTERS\/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab<\/a>BERLIN, Jan 8 (Reuters) – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly criticised U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump<\/a> and urged the world not to let the world order disintegrate into a “den of robbers” where the unscrupulous take what they want.In unusually strong remarks, which appeared to refer to actions such as the ousting of Venezuela<\/a>‘s President Nicolas Maduro<\/a> at the weekend, the former foreign minister said global democracy was being attacked as never before.<\/p>\n Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n Although the German president’s role is largely ceremonial, his words carry some weight and he has more freedom to express views than politicians.<\/p>\n Describing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a> as a watershed, Steinmeier said the U.S. behaviour represented a second historic rupture.<\/p>\n “Then there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order,” Steinmeier said in remarks at a symposium late on Wednesday.<\/p>\n “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,” he said.<\/p>\n On Thursday, a poll for public broadcaster ARD indicated 76% of Germans surveyed now felt the United States was not a partner that Germany could rely on, an increase of three percentage points since June 2025. Only 15% felt Germany could now trust the United States, the lowest level recorded in the regular survey of attitudes.<\/p>\n By contrast roughly three-quarters felt they could rely on France and Britain.<\/p>\n The survey found 69% of Germans concerned about security in Europe, about the same number that thought NATO partners could not rely on the protection of the United States, the strongest member of the alliance.<\/p>\n Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Alison Williams and Cynthia Osterman<\/p>\n Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab<\/a><\/p>\n