https://www.dw.com/en/will-trump-pull-italy-austria-poland-hungary-from-eu/a-75134777Trans-Atlantic relations have suffered since Donald Trump took office for a second time in January. The publication of the National Security Strategy on December 4, 2025 was seen by many European politicians as an open affront.In the document, which each new administration submits to Congress, Europe is described as a continent in decline where there is a risk of "civilizational erasure" because of migration policies. There is mention of "censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition."However, a longer, unpublished draft of the document was circulated prior to the official, public strategy. It reportedly goes into more detail about the plans the US has in store for Europe. According to the Washington-based digital media platform Defense One, which claims to have seen the draft, it lists Italy, Austria, Poland and Hungary as countries that the US should "work more with … with the goal of pulling them away" from the European Union.The White House has denied the existence of any such draft.But the question remains: Is the US trying to divide the European Union? And why are these four countries of particular interest?
Italy, Austria, Poland and HungaryHungary's name on the list is probably the least surprising, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US President Trump remain close allies. Orban supported Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign — the only ruling EU leader to do so at the time. Both stand to mutually benefit from the other's political stance. Orban is widely seen as a maverick and a destabilizing force for the EU — an institution that Trump appears to deeply distrust. And Trump has referred to Orban as his "great friend" and is even alleged to have offered Hungary a "financial shield" of $20 billion (€17 billion) — similar to the one he recently offered Argentina. Hungary's economy is in a weak state, and significant EU funds due to the country have been frozen over persistent concerns about democratic backsliding.Trump told the media outlet Politico earlier this month that he had not promised Hungary a financial lifeline, but said Orban had asked for one.The US president also appears enthusiastic about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy, a right-wing party with neofascist roots. But Daniel Hegedüs, regional director for Central Europe at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, believes the US government is under a "misapprehension" that Meloni would oppose the EU.Though she shares certain ideological views with Orban, Meloni has not played an obstructionist role in the bloc. Indeed, she is very pragmatic, Hegedüs told DW, adding that few had understood as well as she had what a stable EU could do for their country.
While neither Poland nor Austria are currently led by right-wing populist governments, this was the case until recently, and right-wing and euroskeptic parties remain extremely influential in both countries. In the last elections, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) was the strongest force. It is currently leading the polls. In Poland last summer, Karol Nawrocki, the candidate backed by the national conservative Law and Justice party (PiS), won the presidential election.It is perhaps not surprising that the Trump administration might hope to soon be able to exert more influence in both countries.German lawmaker: US lost values once shared with EuropeWhy not the Czech Republic and Slovakia?What is surprising, at least to some, is that two EU states do not appear on the list: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.In the first, the parliamentary elections were won by the billionaire Andrej Babis and his populist ANO party in October. Babis formed a coalition government with the right-wing Motorists for Themselves party and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party.Meanwhile, Slovakia has been experiencing a shift to the right since Robert Fico came to power as prime minister in 2023. His nominally social democratic, but in fact nationalist and increasingly right-wing Smer-SD party was recently expelled from the EU-level Party of European Socialists.Both Babis and Fico are outspoken EU skeptics, and both have the potential to cause chaos in EU decision-making and to undermine the bloc's authority on strategic issues, especially with regard to Russia and Ukraine — qualities that the current Trump administration is likely to appreciate.Hegedüs believes the fact that the two states did not end up being mentioned in the final strategy document lies with the roots of their parties. For a long time, ANO could not be classified on the traditional left-right spectrum, while Smer-SD saw itself as left-wing.
>secret racist campaign focused on white genocide>try to ally with the least white euro countriesMAGA getting played from every angle will never not be funny
"You can clearly see how ideological the US approach is," said Hegedüs. "Because Smer and ANO do not have a traditional right-populist background, they are not considered to be like-minded, even though they possibly pursue policies that are useful to the Trump administration."Trump supports ideological alliesInitial attempts by the US government to interfere in democratic processes in Europe at the beginning of the year, such as Vice President JD Vance's controversial speech at the Munich Security Conference, were initially dismissed by observers of trans-Atlantic relations. Many argued that the new administration in Washington still had to find its feet in its new role. But ever since, the US government has interfered again and again — in the Romanian, Polish and German election campaigns, for instance. The pattern is always the same: support is given to those whom the Trump administration sees as an ally in ideological terms, and to those who can weaken Brussels.Experts such as Hegedüs doubt that the US goal is to promote the departure of one of these four nations from the bloc, but rather to push a gradual disintegration of European integration through diplomatic, political and perhaps even financial support.The first signs of this are already visible. For example, although the EU has agreed to gradually phase out its dependence on Russian energy and the bloc will ban imports of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by the fall of 2027, Hungary has announced it will refuse to comply.
In November, Prime Minister Orban secured a waiver from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports from Trump. He said that he did not accept the EU's decision and would take the case to the European Court of Justice. In a recent joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Orban announced that Turkey would continue to guarantee the route so that gas could be transported from Russia to Hungary via the TurkStream pipeline.Hegedüs predicts that in the coming years there will be more such cases, with member states failing to comply with joint decisions, thereby increasingly calling into question the very essence of European integration.
>>1464943>But ever since, the US government has interfered again and again — in the Romanian, Polish and German election campaigns, for instance. The pattern is always the same: support is given to those whom the Trump administration sees as an ally in ideological terms, and to those who can weaken Brussels.The US has become worse than Russia
When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44, ESV).
Who is Will Italy?
Because they are geographically 'next' if Russia gets through Ukraine.
>>1465239>if
>>1465239It has to do with the far right (Russian backed) parties in those countries being aligned with Trump's anti-nato anti-EU agenda.
>>1465315>Putin's anti-nato anti-EU agenda.ftfy
U.S conservatives acting like foreign countries don't have any impact on the way their nation functions might be one of the single most destructive things they've done for the planet. China already rigs the U.N. with their own plants to silence dissenters.
I don't see this happening anywhere in the near future. Italy is still receiving Revovery Plan payments from the EU, Poland is worried about Russia, and I don't know why Austria is in this list.
>>1465409The rest of the EU learned how retarded it would be to leave after the UK did and was infinitely worse off for it. Trump's complete lack of credibility just makes them even less likely to listen to his bullshit.
Meanwhilehttps://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/12/08/europe-today-eu-vs-musk-sviatlana-tsikhanouskaya-and-migrations>Elon Musk calls for the EU to be abolished
>>1465442He's really salty about that fine lmao
>>1464941>Though she shares certain ideological views with Orban, Meloni has not played an obstructionist role in the bloc. Indeed, she is very pragmatic, Hegedüs told DW, adding that few had understood as well as she had what a stable EU could do for their country.Right. Basically, Italy has been a bastion of euroskepticism since the Great Recession, but this changed during the COVID pandemic: that was when Italy started getting billion-euro packages from the European Union as part of Next Generation EU, a program that is supposed to last from 2022 to 2027. Talk of leaving the EU disappeared around the 2022 election for this reason, and the only "Italexit" party failed to get the minimum amount of votes required to enter the Parliament.Meloni's would be fucking stupid to antagonize the European Union like Orban does. It would lose Italy billions of euros and it would jeopardize the stability of her government, which relies on the support from pro-EU party Forza Italia.So far she has worked with EU institutions to "change it from within" and attempt to score victories pertaining issues like mass migration at an EU level. She has also supported Ukraine.That said, I wouldn't say that euroskepticism is dead in Italy, it's merely on pause. The Next Generation EU program will end in 2027 and that is also when new elections will be held, so I wouldn't expect anything to change before then.
>>1465442>>1465444Also most EU states won't tolerate Musk trying to rig their elections since he'd absolutely try to do that like he did in America. I still remember, after the Russians successfully installed trump in 2016 using /pol/ as a proxy to spread propaganda. They tried the same thing with the French elections during a time when they weren't supposed to, causing for french authorities to contact An Hiro and forcing the whole campaign to shut down. Maybe the sad face emoji tweet asking people to stop from him is still up
>>1464940If the US openly tries to break up the EU, couldn't the EU just respond by supporting California and New England to leave the USA?
>>1465497A much faster and direct way is liquidating the trillions in American government bonds the countries in the EU hold, which they're already considering if trump openly betrays them to putin.>>1462040If they were to do that, it would crash the US economy and basically ensure the only way the republicans stay in power is if they stage a coup.
>>1465497You think EU-faggots don't meddle in US politics, you excited little traitor?
>>1465508Show me five examples, ivan.
>>1465623List all the times they didn't, my guy.
>>1465628You made the claim, the burden of proof is on you my man.
>>1465632No decent discussion has ever been had with anyone who has ever called anyone "Ivan". There's no point in dealing with you. Maybe you should break your retard habit.
>>1465634Ok Ivan better luck next time you make a sensational claim with no proof
>>1465641You didn't disprove anything.But, since you want to bitch, then I'll ask one question who is Christoper Steele?
>>1465643You tell me
>>1465655You sound terrified to say it yourself.
>>1465663You sound like a Russian stooge.
>>1465444A fine that he could pay off with like an hour's income.
>>1464960Republicans are already emulating Russia in stealing elections.https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
>>1465750Ah, yes, voter suppression, what Democrats call it when real living American citizens refuse to vote for them.
>>1465762Go to bed Rudy
>>1465435The uk was worse of only because the turd Reich(eu) punished them to intimidate the weaker countries in the union, they showed their true totalitarian colors. In order to intimidate their weaker members they basically had to drop the pretence of the eu as a democratic coalition of like-minded nations.
>>1465780How were they punished by the EU?
Hate that Will Italy guy.
