New Delhi : US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the creation of an elite strategic forum, dubbed the “C5” or “Core Five”, that would bring together the United States, Russia, China, India, and Japan, potentially overshadowing the Europe-heavy G7 and other traditional groupings built around democratic norms and economic strength.
The idea surfaced in reporting by Politico, which said the concept appeared in a longer, unpublished version of the National Security Strategy released last week. Although the outlet stressed it could not verify the document’s existence, first mentioned by Defense One, the proposal has nonetheless stirred debate about Washington’s global direction.
According to the reported draft, the C5 would unite major powers with populations exceeding 100 million, meeting regularly like the G7 but without the requirements of political alignment or wealth. Its first proposed agenda item: Middle East security, with a focus on normalising ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
White House Denials And Expert Reactions
The White House has firmly rejected claims of any alternate or secret strategy paper. Press secretary Hannah Kelly insisted that “no alternative, private, or secret version” of the official 33-page plan exists.
Yet national security specialists say the idea bears the hallmarks of Trump’s worldview. “This is consistent with how we believe President Trump views the world, which is non-ideological, through a sympathy for strong players, and through a tendency to cooperate with other great powers that maintain spheres of influence in their region,” said Torrey Taussig, former director for European affairs on the US National Security Council during the Biden administration.
She added that Europe’s absence from the proposed C5 “would make Europeans believe that this administration views Russia as a leading power capable of exercising its sphere of influence in Europe”.
Michael Sobolik, formerly an aide to Republican Senator Ted Cruz, noted that such a grouping would mark a sharp departure from Trump’s first-term stance on Beijing. “The first Trump administration adhered to the concept of great power competition… This is just a huge departure from that,” he said.
Allies Uneasy As Washington Reassesses Global Forums
The speculation arises amid wider concern over how far Trump’s second administration may reshape international structures. The C5 concept casts existing forums such as the G7 and G20 as inadequate for a multipolar world, prioritising direct negotiations among states with the largest populations and military-economic weight.
US allies fear that elevating Russia while excluding Europe could legitimise authoritarian leaders, weaken Western unity, and strain NATO cohesion.
Although the proposal did not appear in the updated National Security Strategy published on 5 December, that document notably expressed Washington’s aim to stabilise ties with Moscow and acknowledged growing discord with Europe.
Implications For India And Quad
If real, the C5 would signal a major shift in US strategic priorities, towards deeper engagement with large emerging powers and away from established European partnerships. Analysts say it could also marginalise platforms such as the Quad, which groups the US, India, Japan, and Australia.
India-US Relations On Mend
The reports come as relations between Washington and New Delhi appear to be improving after months of tension. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his third call with Trump in recent months, describing the exchange as “very warm”.
Bilateral ties had deteriorated after Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India, partly in response to New Delhi’s ongoing purchases of Russian oil, which Washington argues help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine. A stalemate over a trade agreement further strained relations.
Tensions eased in September when Trump telephoned Modi on his birthday, reaffirming the nations’ longstanding partnership. With speculation now swirling about India’s possible inclusion in a new global “superclub”, Washington appears to be recalibrating its approach to a nation that has become the world’s fourth-largest economy, and an increasingly critical partner.
