EU foreign ministers to discuss US withdrawal of funding for RFE/RL

EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the termination of the U.S. grant that funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) during a meeting in Brussels on March 17, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter in Brussels.

The news follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on March 14 to eliminate seven federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees RFE/RL and Voice of America (VoA).

As a result of Trump’s decision, the congressionally authorized grant that funded RFE/RL has been terminated.

Before the ministerial meeting in Brussels, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky emphasized the importance of RFE/RL and VoA's work, calling them a "beacon" for people living in countries under authoritarianism.

"Do we see value in such an organization, broadcasting to countries like Russia, Belarus, Iran, and many others? And if we see such value, what are we willing to do to keep such a service in our favor?" Lipavsky said, adding that the Czech Republic has hosted Radio Liberty's headquarters in Prague for almost three decades.

Czech officials also circulated among their EU colleagues a draft statement seen by RFE/RL expressing grave concerns about the situation with RFE/RL's funding.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed that the EU is considering options to help the media after the U.S. funding cutoff, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter in Brussels.

"We are at the stage of brainstorming, but clearly, these are worthy institutions whose mission should continue," Sikorski said.

Trump has long criticized U.S.-funded media organizations, criticizing them over their coverage of the U.S. president, and often referring to them as "fake news."

The Trump administration has previously cut thousands of federally-funded positions, with the cuts directly impacting support for Ukraine.

In February, the Trump administration terminated the employment of top officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after they attempted to prevent representatives from Elon Musk's DOGE from accessing restricted areas.