International lawyers sharply criticize Trump's foreign policy

DTS News Agency International lawyers sharply criticize Trump's foreign policy 23 minutes • 1 minute read International lawyers are extremely critical of US President Donald Trump's foreign policy. Berlin legal scholar Helmut Aust told the "Rheinische Post" (Tuesday) with regard to the Ukraine talks between the US and Russia: "So far, there has been absolute agreement among states and in international legal scholarship that no territorial changes may be brought about by military force." He added: "But if Ukraine is forced to bow to military pressure, one would be laying the axe to the foundations of international law. Then the law of the strongest applies." Aust, who works as a professor at the Free University of Berlin, added: "If such examples become prevalent, weaker states would have to expect to have to cede territory to major powers at any time. In a sense, that would be a return to the 19th century." He said: "Back then, states had the right to wage war freely. Victorious states could make territorial gains. With the UN Charter, this changed, as annexation became illegal under international law." Heidelberg international law expert Matthias Hartwig added: "What Trump said about the Panama Canal, Canada, or Greenland—there's no room for interpretation—would be a serious violation of international law. Like the Russians, the Americans don't have the right to simply grab territory for themselves." Hartwig, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, said: "In the case of an annexation, as in Crimea, international states have an obligation not to recognize it. This applies to any territorial transfer under duress."