US retreat a wakeup call for Europe, says German FM

BERLIN: Germany's foreign minister yesterday urged Europe to define and defend its own interests, warning that Washington's retreat from the world stage may continue even after Donald Trump's presidency, reports AFP.

"The current withdrawal of the US under Donald Trump from its role as the reliable guarantor of western multilateralism is accelerating a change in the world order and has direct consequences on the perception of German and European interests," Sigmar Gabriel said.

He said that the current US administration had taken an "extraordinary distance" from its traditionally close relationship with Europe, which it now increasingly viewed as a "competitor or economic rival" rather than an ally.

Urging Europe not to sit back and wait but take its fate into its own hands, Gabriel warned that the "US withdrawal is not just about one single president, it won't change fundamentally with the next election".

"That's why there is no doubt that Germany and Europe, given this situation, need to take on more than before," he told a foreign policy congress in Berlin.

 

US retreat a wakeup call for Europe, says German FM

BERLIN: Germanys foreign minister yesterday urged Europe to define and defend its own interests, warning that Washingtons retreat from the world stage may continue even after Donald Trumps presidency, reports AFP. The current withdrawal of the US under Donald Trump from its role as the reliable guarantor of western multilateralism is accelerating a change in the world order and has direct consequences on the perception of German and European interests, Sigmar Gabriel said. He said that the current US administration had taken an extraordinary distance from its traditionally close relationship with Europe, which it now increasingly viewed as a competitor or economic rival rather than an ally. Urging Europe not to sit back and wait but take its fate into its own hands, Gabriel warned that the US withdrawal is not just about one single president, it wont change fundamentally with the next election. Thats why there is no doubt that Germany and Europe, given this situation, need to take on more than before, he told a foreign policy congress in Berlin.