Donald Trump Eyes 'C5 Group' With India, China, Russia-Excludes Europe. What's On Platter?

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Amid US President Donald Trump's failed efforts to mediate peace in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, an unconventional idea is emerging in DC: creating a new“Core 5” group of countries-including China and Russia -to bring traditional rivals closer, offering a stark contrast to the existing G7, according to a report by POLITICO.

Although it may have once seemed unlikely, some analysts note that the concept has a distinctly Trumpian flair, the report noted.

For instance, Trump has frequently sought to strike deals with rival nations-such as approving the sale of Nvidia's H200 AI chip to Beijing and sending his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, among other efforts.

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A person who served in the White House in the first Trump administration, granted anonymity to discuss closed-door conversations, said the idea of a C5 (the U.S., China, India, Japan and Russia) was not completely shocking, POLITICO reported.

“Nothing around a C5 or C7 was discussed, but there were certainly conversations that the existing bodies like the G-structures or the U.N. Security Council weren't fit for purpose, given today's new players,” the person said, as reported by POLITICO.

The concept for the group reportedly appeared in a longer, unpublished draft of the National Security Strategy released by the White House last week.

However, the White House has firmly denied the document's existence. Spokesperson Anna Kelly told NatSec Daily that“no alternative, private, or classified version exists” of the 33-page official plan.

However, national security experts noted that the concept of a“Core 5” could be a logical fit for this White House.

Torrey Taussig, who served as director for European affairs on the National Security Council during the Biden administration, said,“this aligns with how we know President Trump to view the world, which is nonideologically, through an affinity for strongmen, and through a propensity of working with other great powers that maintain spheres of influence in their region.”

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She noted that Europe did not appear in the theoretical C5,“which I imagine would lead Europeans to believe this administration views Russia as the preeminent power with the ability to carry out its own sphere of influence over Europe.”

Michael Sobolik, a former aide to Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during Trump's first term, viewed the“Core 5” concept as a reversal of Trump's initial approach to China.

“The first Trump administration bought into the framework of a great power competition, and that was how we couched and talked about the relationship with China,” he said,“This is just a huge departure.”

The administration has, however, previously considered new global power arrangements.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pointed to a historic“G2 meeting” between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, raising concerns in Congress.

Additionally, the National Security Strategy indicated a move away from traditional European allies-described as facing“civilizational erasure”-toward a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Representative Raja krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) the ranking member on the House Select China Committee, wrote Hegseth today to express“profound concern,” saying,“Your description of the U.S. relationship with the CCP as a 'G2' is deeply troubling and suggests a fundamental misreading of the United States' foremost global adversary that risks dangerously undermining the Pentagon's preparations for deterring conflict in the Indo-Pacific.”

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Earlier on December 7, the US lifted Russia's 'direct threat' label in a 29-page updated US national security strategy. It mentioned that Trump's foreign policy vision is going in the direction of“flexible realism”. The US policy from now on will be defined by“what works for America” above all, the statement read.

The US strategy“is motivated above all by what works for America - or, in two words, 'America First,'” the document said.

Trump has often made positive and admiring comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting critics to accuse him of being soft on Moscow even as his administration maintained sanctions over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

European allies, reliant on US military support to deter Russia, have watched the shift closely and voiced concern that softer US language might weaken efforts to confront Moscow as the war in Ukraine continues.

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