Experts in international law view the foreign policy of US President Donald Trump with great criticism. Berlin-based legal scholar Helmut Aust expressed his concerns to the “Rheinische Post” (Tuesday) regarding the Ukraine talks between the US and Russia. Aust stated, “So far, there has been complete unanimity among states and in international law regarding the fact that no territorial changes should be brought about through military force.” He added, “However, if one forces Ukraine to succumb to military pressure, one would be attacking the very foundations of international law. Then, the law of the strongest would prevail.”
Aust, who is a professor at the Free University of Berlin, further explained, “If such examples set a precedent, weaker states would always have to anticipate the loss of territory to powerful nations. This would essentially be a return to the 19th century.” He continued, “Back then, there was a free right of war for states, with victorious states being able to secure territorial gains. With the UN Charter, this has changed, rendering annexations illegal.”
Heidelberg-based international law expert Matthias Hartwig also weighed in, stating, “What Trump said about the Panama Canal, Canada, or Greenland is a serious breach of international law. Just like the Russians, the Americans do not have the right to simply seize territories.” Hartwig, who is a researcher at the Max-Planck-Institute for Foreign and International Public Law and International Law, added, “In the event of an annexation, as with Crimea, there is the obligation for international states to not recognize it. This applies to any territorial shift under coercion.