Germany’s vice chancellor warned Wednesday that ties between Europe and the United States are under serious strain, describing the trans-Atlantic relationship as fracturing amid a period of profound geopolitical shifts.
Lars Klingbeil, who also serves as Germany’s finance minister, delivered the remarks in a speech in Berlin, saying the alliance that has long bound Europe and Washington is facing a “much more profound upheaval” than many had acknowledged. “The trans-Atlantic relationship as we have known it is currently disintegrating,” he said.
Klingbeil, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party who is serving in a coalition government with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc, said recent diplomatic engagements had underscored his concern about widening differences. He noted that a visit to Washington this week with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reinforced his view of deepening divisions.
The vice chancellor pointed to a string of actions by U.S. authorities that he said signaled a broader shift in Washington’s approach to global partners.
While claiming that Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro was a "dictator,” Klingbeil said U.S. military action there violated core principles of international law and should not be treated as an isolated case.
