By Micah Jonah
January 9, 2026
German President Frank Walter Steinmeier has launched a blistering attack on United States foreign policy under President Donald Trump, warning that Washington’s actions are tearing apart the global order it once helped to build.
Speaking in Berlin, Steinmeier said the world risks descending into what he described as a “den of robbers,” where powerful and unscrupulous actors seize whatever they want, unchecked by rules or shared values.
In unusually blunt remarks, the largely ceremonial President appeared to reference recent US actions, including the removal of Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, saying global democracy is under greater threat than at any point in recent history.
Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, said Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its invasion of Ukraine marked a historic turning point, but argued that current US behaviour represents a second and equally dangerous rupture.
“There is a breakdown of values by our most important partner, the United States, which helped build this world order,” he said, warning against a future where regions and entire countries are treated as property by a few great powers.
Public sentiment in Germany appears to reflect his concerns. A new poll for public broadcaster ARD showed that 76 percent of Germans now believe the United States is no longer a reliable partner, up from June last year. Only 15 percent said Germany could trust the US, the lowest level ever recorded in the survey.
By contrast, nearly three quarters of respondents said Germany could rely on France and Britain, while a similar proportion expressed deep concern about security in Europe, doubts over whether NATO allies can depend on US protection.
Steinmeier’s comments underscore growing unease in Europe about Washington’s global role, signal widening cracks in the transatlantic alliance.
