Europe is up in arms after a document alleging to show a US proposal to pull countries away from the EU was leaked.
The 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.
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.’
But despite the White House denying the claims that the US is attempting to draw four countries away from the EU to ‘work more closely together’ with Americans, the supposed leaked proposal has also caused a stir across Europe.
Austrian newspaper Die Presse warned: ‘Trump wants to divide the EU with Austria’s help’, with the Viennese Standard echoing the concerns, stating: ‘USA wants to push ahead with Öxit’.
Alarm bells also appeared to sound for Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, which wrote: ‘We should be aware that the US is not only on the path to leaving Europe – it is practically becoming an adversary, similar to China and Russia.
‘Beijing and Moscow want to divide the EU and play European countries off against each other. Washington is making it clear that it intends the same thing.’
However, the usually Trump-critical New York Times appeared to take a more understanding stance towards the alleged proposals.
‘On closer reading, the passages about Europe sound more like a defence of the continent. They describe Europe, among other things, as “strategically and culturally vital” to the United States,’ it said.
Surprisingly, the media in Italy – which was one of the four countries supposedly listed to be drawn away from the EU – echoed the New York Times’ laid back approach.
‘It is right to be worried. But the document should be taken for what it is: a document,’ one newspaper said.
‘Furthermore, it is not a given that Trump will adhere to it exactly. Some believe that he hasn’t even read it.’
Since the release of the alleged leaked document, the White House has vehemently denied the claims.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said on Wednesday: ‘President Trump is transparent and has signed a national security strategy that clearly directs the US government to implement its established principles and priorities.’
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 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. 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!’
