Leaked US Strategy Reportedly Targets EU Unity with Plan to “Decouple” Four Nations

A controversial unpublished document allegedly outlines a Trump administration plan to weaken the European Union by pulling Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland into a US-aligned bloc


Washington, DC – A leaked version of President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy (NSS) reportedly contains a provocative plan to fracture European unity by drawing four EU member states into a pro-American orbit, triggering alarm across the Atlantic and prompting swift denials from the White House.
According to reporting from Defense One and subsequently picked up by European newsrooms, the unpublished strategy—described as a longer, more detailed companion to the official 33-page document released December 4—explicitly calls for “deepening ties” with Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland to gradually “pull them from the EU.” The plan allegedly frames Europe as facing “civilizational erasure” and proposes supporting right-wing movements that favor “traditional European ways of life” while remaining staunchly pro-American.
The “Core Four” Strategy
The document identifies four countries as prime candidates for a US-backed alternative to full EU integration:
• Hungary, led by Trump’s close ally Viktor Orbán, who has repeatedly clashed with Brussels over rule-of-law issues
• Italy, whose Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has earned frequent praise from Trump for her nationalist conservative policies
• Poland, now with right-wing President Karol Nawrocki aligned with Trump’s worldview
• Austria, currently governed by a coalition including the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ)
The strategy reportedly urges supporting “parties, movements, and intellectual and cultural figures” who advocate for national sovereignty and resist deeper European integration, all while maintaining strong Atlanticist credentials.
“Make Europe Great Again” and the C5 Forum
The alleged document introduces two signature concepts that have raised particular concern in European capitals.
First is the “Make Europe Great Again” (MEGA) initiative, which mirrors Trump’s domestic political brand. This would reportedly build a network of “sovereign” European governments and movements that share Trump’s skepticism of multinational institutions while embracing his transactional approach to alliances.
Second is the proposed “Core Five” (C5) forum, a new great-power grouping that would include the United States, China, Russia, India, and Japan—explicitly sidelining the G7 and leaving Europe out of top-tier global decision-making. The forum’s first proposed summit would focus on Middle East security and normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, effectively relegating European powers to secondary status.
The document reportedly contends that Europe is declining due to “demographic transformation through immigration,” “elite-driven restrictions on liberties,” and economic stagnation—singling out France and Germany as examples of decaying societies.
Official Denials and Outrage
White House Press Secretary Hannah Kelly dismissed the reports as baseless: “No alternative, private, or classified version exists. President Trump is transparent and put his signature on one National Security Strategy.”
European leaders have reacted with a mixture of fury and defiance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged respect for European democracy without directly confirming the document’s authenticity, while European Council President António Costa rejected any foreign interference in European affairs. Austrian Foreign Minister Brigitte Bierlein (from the liberal NEOS party) called the alleged plan “madness” and said it underscored the need for “a stronger, more self-confident Europe.”
Strategic Implications and Credibility Questions
The alleged strategy aligns with Trump’s long-stated grievances about European NATO members’ defense spending and his preference for dealing with individual leaders over multilateral institutions. His personal friendships with Orbán and Meloni, and his exclusion of European leaders from Ukraine peace talks, lend credence to the document’s worldview—if not its literal existence.
Russia’s foreign ministry has already praised the official NSS as “consistent with our vision,” noting its shift away from Euro-Atlantic integration toward great-power competition.
Analysts warn that even the existence of such a document—whether official or deliberative—could strain the transatlantic alliance by revealing the administration’s apparent willingness to treat the EU as a competitor rather than a partner. The plan’s emphasis on supporting specific political movements in sovereign nations would represent a dramatic departure from traditional non-interference in allies’ domestic affairs.
The sourcing remains contested: while the White House denies any such document exists, multiple news organizations cite officials who claim to have reviewed the unpublished version. Regardless of its official status, the reporting reveals a strategic mindset that views European integration as obsolete and national sovereignty—when aligned with US interests—as the path forward.


As the controversy unfolds, European diplomats are quietly discussing how to respond to an American administration that appears, at minimum, ideologically sympathetic to movements that would weaken the very union the US has spent 70 years helping build.