A leaked draft of the US National Security Strategy claims Washington wants Austria, Italy, Hungary and Poland to leave the European Union as part of a broader effort to pull them into a tighter American orbit. The document, reported by Defense One, outlines a plan framed as Make Europe Great Again and urges support for governments and movements seeking sovereignty and the preservation of traditional European ways of life.
A partial version of the strategy released last week had already provoked outrage for warning of civilisational erasure in Europe and attacking EU migration and speech policies. The unpublished draft goes further, urging the United States to work with selected European governments to move them away from Brussels.
The leak follows the publication of the official 33 page strategy, which accused some longstanding allies of being unreliable. The White House defended the published document. Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Trump had signed a strategy that directs the government to implement its stated priorities.
Defense One reports that the unpublished draft portrays the EU as an institution eroding sovereignty, restricting freedoms and destabilising Europe through mass migration. The leak appeared while Trump escalated his criticism of EU policies, accusing European leaders of destroying their countries. Recent tensions included a heated call between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Merz confirmed friction and indicated further talks were planned.
The four countries named align with Trump’s closest allies in Europe. He has consistently praised Hungary’s Viktor Orban, maintained close ties with Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, spoken approvingly of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and engaged with Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker.
The draft calls for backing movements that protect traditional European ways of life while remaining pro American. Reaction across Europe was severe. Chatham House’s Leslie Vinjamuri called it a line in the sand marking the collapse of the post Cold War liberal order. European Council President António Costa warned the United States cannot choose Europe’s political direction. Merz argued Europe needs more strategic independence, while Poland’s Donald Tusk appealed for stability and reaffirmed the transatlantic alliance.
Some figures welcomed the leak. Dutch far right politician Geert Wilders endorsed Trump’s stance, attacking EU migration policies.
Defense One also reports that the full draft envisions a reduced American commitment to European defence and proposes a new Core 5 group consisting of the US, China, Russia, India and Japan. The White House dismissed the leaked material. Kelly said no alternative version exists and that anyone claiming otherwise has no insight into Trump’s policy.
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