The United States, led by President Donald Trump, aims to persuade four EU countries to follow the UK's example and leave the EU, according to a longer leaked version of the American national security strategy reportedly seen by US defence website Defense One.
The secret file supposedly claims that the Trump administration wants to prise four EU countries – Austria, Italy, Hungary and Poland – away from the bloc and closer to the US' circle of influence as part of a new strategy to "Make Europe Great Again."
As the four countries have traditions of dissent against the EU, the document reportedly states that the US should "work more with" them, aiming to pull them "away from the [European Union]."
The document reportedly also calls for the US to back parties and movements that "seek sovereignty and preservation/restoration of traditional European ways of life (…) while remaining pro-American."
'No other versions'
This supposed leak comes just a week after the release of the official 33-page National Security Strategy (NSS) last Friday, which already sparked debate as it vowed to fight against Europe's so-called "civilisational erasure" and to "cultivate resistance to Europe's current trajectory" with the EU.
Additionally, it suggested that it was "far from obvious whether certain European countries will (...) remain reliable allies."
The document argues that Europe's migration policies are "transforming the continent and creating strife" while the EU is "undermining political liberty and sovereignty."
As the leak triggered alarm across social media platforms and among media outlets in Europe, the White House denied these claims, stating that there is no other version of the NSS than the one published last week.
"No alternative, private, or classified version exists," said Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House. "President Trump is transparent and put his signature on one National Security Strategy that clearly instructs the US government to execute on his defined principles and priorities."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (right) meets with US President Donald Trump at Mar a Lago in Florida, 5 January 2025. Credit: Palazzo Chigi
Earlier this week, Trump spoke harshly of "decaying" European nations in an interview with Politico. According to him, the immigration policies of these "politically correct leaders" are "destroying" their countries.
He also branded Europe's approach to migration as a "disaster" and claimed that countries across the bloc were "falling apart" as a result.
"We will reward and encourage the region's governments, political parties, and movements broadly aligned with our principles and strategy," the document says, according to the Defense One report. “But we must not overlook governments with different outlooks with whom we nonetheless share interests and who want to work with us."
Additionally, the secret American strategy is also said to propose a new elite C5 ("Core Five") forum of world powers comprising the US, China, India, Japan and Russia – aiming to sideline the G7 – to meet regularly for summits with specific themes, such as Middle East security.
