Overview
- The National Security Strategy published on December 4 describes Europe as a continent in decline and warns of a risk of “civilizational erasure” tied to migration, also referencing censorship and suppression of opposition.
- Defense One reports an unpublished draft urged closer U.S. engagement with Italy, Austria, Poland and Hungary to pull them away from the EU, a document the White House says does not exist.
- Analysts cited by Deutsche Welle say the likely objective is not immediate exits from the bloc but a gradual weakening of integration through diplomatic, political and potential financial support.
- Observers point to repeated U.S. involvement in European politics this year, including Vice President JD Vance’s Munich speech and support in Romanian, Polish and German campaigns for ideologically aligned actors.
- Tensions are visible in energy policy as Hungary rejects EU plans to end Russian gas imports and says it secured a U.S. sanctions waiver, with Viktor Orbán highlighting a route via Turkey’s TurkStream pipeline.