German President Accuses Trump of Turning World Order Into a «den of robbers»

Just days after the surprise U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered unusually pointed remarks at a symposium, sharply criticizing Washington’s recent conduct on the world stage. Steinmeier, whose role is largely ceremonial but whose words carry diplomatic weight, warned that global democracy is facing unprecedented pressure and cautioned against allowing the post-World War II order to fragment. In his address, he said it is essential to prevent a breakdown of the rules-based system, arguing that it must not turn into what he called 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».

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier went further by warning that the United States itself — long seen as the cornerstone of the postwar system — was now contributing to what he described as a dangerous erosion of shared principles. He said the world was witnessing «Then there is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order», a statement that underscored the depth of European concern. His remarks came as the Trump administration announced the suspension of U.S. support for 66 international organizations, most of them linked to the United Nations and focused on climate, labour and advisory work that Washington has dismissed as tied to diversity or “woke” initiatives. At the same time, Trump has revived threats to assert control over Greenland, a territory within the Danish realm and part of NATO, reinforcing fears in European capitals that Washington is not only retreating from multilateral institutions but also challenging the alliance framework it once helped construct.

As the Trump administration has moved to assert control over Venezuelan oil following its surprise attack and the capture of Nicolás Maduro — seizing multiple oil tankers and announcing plans to sell between 30 and 50 million barrels to the United States while asserting it will oversee Venezuelan energy production for years to come — German President issued a stark warning about the broader implications for the international system. Steinmeier said «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», directly condemning what he described as a breakdown in global norms and values amid actions he sees as undermining the post-World War II order.

In recent remarks outlining his economic vision and foreign policy ambitions, Donald Trump framed future reconstruction efforts as both strategic and lucrative, declaring «We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,» in an interview with The New York Times. Earlier, in a separate message posted on Truth Social, he adopted a far more expansive and assertive tone, affirming that «The Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America. This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!» Taken together, these statements sketch a vision in which international resources, executive authority, and profitability are explicitly intertwined, presenting economic control as both a political tool and a justification for interventionist policies, while reinforcing Trump’s recurring emphasis on personal oversight and transactional diplomacy.