A US defense website claims to have seen a leaked document unveiling a dramatic US proposal to prise four countries away from the European Union as part of a bold new ‘Make Europe Great Again’ strategy.
The secret file, reported by Defense One, supposedly claims Trump intends to pull Austria, Italy, Hungary and Poland away from the EU and closer in to Washington’s circle of influence – a move that would rip through the continent’s political landscape.
The document is also said to call for the US to back parties and movements that ‘seek sovereignty and preservation/restoration of traditional European ways of life.’
The supposed leak comes just a week after the release of the official, 33-page National Security Strategy, which sparked debate for its stark warning that Europe faces ‘civilisational erasure’ and for suggesting it is ‘far from obvious whether certain European countries will… remain reliable allies.’
The White House has since come out swinging, vehemently denying the claims as the leak triggered widespread alarm among European media outlets and spiralled across social platforms.
A spokeswoman on Wednesday dismissed the claim outright, rejecting even the idea that an ‘alternative version’ of the strategy existed.
‘President Trump is transparent and has signed a national security strategy that clearly directs the US government to implement its established principles and priorities,’ White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly insisted.
Trump’s new doctrine paints Europe’s leaders as helpless in the face of mass migration, accusing the EU of eroding national sovereignty, stifling political freedoms and weakening the power of individual states.
It argues that EU migration policies are ‘transforming the continent and creating strife’ and that Brussels is ‘undermining political liberty and sovereignty.’
In a fiery interview with Politico on Tuesday, he again lambasted ‘decaying’ European nations and their ‘politically correct’ leaders whose immigration policies, he said, were ‘destroying’ their countries.
He branded Europe’s approach to migration a ‘disaster’ and claimed countries across the continent were ‘falling apart’ as a result.
It came after Trump on Wednesday expressed impatience with Ukraine and its European allies France, Britain and Germany.
Trump said ‘strong words’ were exchanged in the phone call with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Merz said that further talks with the Americans were planned this weekend and that an international meeting on Ukraine ‘could take place at the beginning of next week’.
But Defense One upped the stakes hours later, publishing extracts from what it described as a ‘fuller version’ of the strategy that reportedly circulated behind closed doors before the White House unveiled the public edition. According to the outlet, the more expansive draft explicitly listed Poland, Austria, Italy and Hungary as countries the US should ‘work more with… with the goal of pulling them away from the [European Union].’
The plans appear to align with US policy in the region, where Trump has enjoyed friendly relations with national-conservative leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – who he welcomed him to the White House last month – and Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
Trump has also endorsed Orban before the Hungarian elections next year, describing him as ‘fantastic’ and handing Hungary an exemption on sanctions for buying Russian oil and gas.
Italy was mentioned in the list of four, and Trump has made no secret of his affection for Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s conservative prime minister.
He described his Italian counterpart as a ‘fantastic woman’ who had ‘taken Europe by storm’ when she visited Mar-a-Lago ahead of his inauguration.
The proposal went on to urge support for political and cultural forces who ‘seek sovereignty and preservation/restoration of traditional European ways of life… while remaining pro-American.’
The reaction to the strategy from Europe was instant and furious. ‘This is Donald Trump drawing a line in the sand – the end of the post-Cold War liberal international order,’ warned Leslie Vinjamuri of Chatham House.
Some leaders were aghast that Washington again appeared to be meddling in Europe’s internal politics, potentially bolstering nationalist and Eurosceptic parties ahead of crucial elections.
António Costa, President of the European Council, delivered a rare rebuke, declaring that the US has no right to dictate Europe’s political choices.
‘The United States cannot replace European citizens in choosing which are the right parties and which are the wrong parties.’
Friedrich Merz struck a more measured tone, calling parts of the strategy ‘understandable’ and ‘comprehensible,’ while still insisting Europe must become ‘much more independent from the US in terms of security policy.’
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, meanwhile, opposed the strategy publicly but attempted to keep relations steady, appealing directly to Washington.
‘Dear American friends,’ he wrote on X, ‘Europe is your closest ally, not your problem. And we have common enemies. At least that’s how it has been in the last 80 years. We need to stick to this, this is the only reasonable strategy [for] our common security.’
However, Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the head of the hard-Right Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, welcomed the contentious report: ‘President @realDonaldTrump @POTUS speaks the truth,’ he wrote on X.
‘Europe is changing rapidly into a medieval continent thanks to open borders and mass immigration.
‘Indeed, an erasure of our culture if we don’t act soon and close our borders for illegal aliens!’
It comes just days after Trump warned that Europe is going in a ‘very bad’ direction.
Speaking to reporters in the White House, the US President said: ‘Europe has to be very careful. They’re doing a lot of things.’
‘We want to keep Europe, Europe. Europe is going in some bad directions.’
He added: ‘It’s very bad for the people. We don’t want Europe to change so much.’
Trump was answering a question about the £105 million fine imposed on Elon Musk’s social media platform X by the EU, but broadened his attack beyond tech regulators to criticise the whole 27-nation bloc.
To add fuel to the fire, the US President reposted a New York Post article on his Truth Social platform, with the headline: ‘Impotent Europeans can only fume as Trump rightly sidelines them from Ukraine deal.’
President Volodymyr Zelensky met British, French and German leaders in London on Monday in a show of European support for Ukraine at what they called a ‘critical moment’ in the US-led effort to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The high-level talks followed fiery comment from Trump, who accused the Ukrainian leader of dragging his feet over the peace deal.
‘I have to say that I am a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal,’ the US leader said to reporters in Washington at the Kennedy Centre on Sunday night.
‘Russia is, I believe, fine with it. But I’m not sure that Zelensky is fine with it. His people love it. But he hasn’t read it,’ Trump said.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev voiced his support for Trump on X, writing: ‘EU & UK leaders should listen to the Daddy.’
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