German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued stark warnings about the state of the global order.
Speaking at a Körber Foundation event in Berlin on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Steinmeier urged people not to remain passive as the international system established after World War II continues to erode. He stressed that disregard for international law and the weakening of global structures have already reached an advanced stage.
He said it is essential to prevent “the world from becoming a den of thieves where the most ruthless take what they want, while small and weak states are left completely unprotected.” He added that this requires a fundamental redirection of security policy: “We must not be weak. Germany can only play a role if we are militarily capable as well. That is what we must achieve.”
Although he did not explicitly mention recent US military action in Venezuela or President Donald Trump’s territorial ambitions in Greenland, Steinmeier spoke of a “double historic breach.” This, he said, consists firstly of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which destroyed Europe’s security architecture, and secondly of “a violation of values by our most important partner, the United States of America.”
Sources – Agencies
