Donald Trump torn aside for ‘destroying world order’ as European leaders give warning
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier claimed Donald Trump had gone ‘far beyond’ what was acceptable and warned of weaker nations being preyed on if world politics turns into a ‘den of robbers’
Germany’s president has issued a dire “den of robbers” warning as he accused Donald Trump of ripping up international laws the US helped forge.
In a scathing assessment of the US President’s behaviour Frank-Walter Steinmeier claimed Trump had gone “far beyond” what was acceptable. In a speech in Berlin he said: “There is the breakdown of values by our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this world order.
“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.”
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He said the world has “moved beyond the stage where we can lament the lack of respect for international law or the erosion of the international order”.
The German president warned that medium-sized countries – like his own – are being pushed to the “margins of history” and smaller and weaker states are “unprotected”.
Trump has been accused of breaking the law by ordering commandos to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in an operation on Saturday.
Anger is growing after the White House said it is weighing up seizing Greenland, a Danish territory. On top of that Trump also warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro to “watch his ass”, hinting he could suffer the same fate as Meduro. He also claimed Cuba is “ready to fall” and said the US is “going to have to do something” with Mexico.
On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron said: “The US is an established power, but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and breaking free from the international rules that it was until recently promoting.
“Multilateral institutions are functioning less and less effectively. We are living in a world of great powers, with a real temptation to divide up the world.”
This week Keir Starmer and European leaders warned the US against invading the Danish territory of Greenland – saying it for Denmark and the people of the island to determine their future. But the UK has not criticised the operation in Venezuela, saying it is for the United States to set out the legal case.
More than 20 MPs have signed a motion calling for the US to be kicked out of the summer’s World Cup as a result of Trump’s actions. The cross-party group called on FIFA to consider expelling the United States over its actions in Venezuela and the President’s “veiled and overt threats” against Denmark, Cuba and Colombia.
A motion calls on the Commons to express alarm over the “kidnapping” of Maduro and threats made against other sovereign states including Denmark, Colombia and Cuba.
Labour MP Brian Leishman, who put it forward, told The Mirror: “This is rank hypocrisy by the international community and by sporting bodies. FIFA says its not political, but them it gives awards to Donald Trump.”
In December the world footballing body presented the President with its first FIFA Peace Award. Mr Leishman continued: “Let’s have consistency. It’s an invasion of a sovereign nation and the kidnap of a president in Venezuela.
“I’m very critical of Maduro, I want to be very clear on that, but what we’ve seen is a breach of international law. When you see how Russia has been treated, which is absolutely correct, I just want there to be consistency.”
