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After Trump moved to pull the plug on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Czech foreign minister hopes the EU can keep the broadcaster ‘at least partially’ on air.
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Lipavsky called RFE/RL a “beacon” for those under totalitarian rule. [EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK]
PRAGUE – Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said he plans to raise the issue of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) at Monday’s gathering of foreign ministers from across the European Union in Brussels, following moves by US President Donald Trump to yank funding from several media outlets over the weekend.
Lipavský argued on Czech TV on Sunday that Europe should launch a broader political discussion given what the broadcaster means for the continent, although he wasn’t sure exactly what steps the EU could take. In a post on X, Lipavský wrote that he wanted to explore “how to at least partially maintain” RFE/RL’s broadcasting operations.
The Czech minister’s comment comes after the Trump administration placed journalists at several US-funded broadcasters – including RFE/RL and Voice of America – on leave on Saturday after it froze their funding.
The White House framed it as part of an effort to reduce US federal bureaucracy and a purge of “radical propaganda”. But in Prague, where RFE/RL has its headquarters, the reaction has been one of alarm. The media outlet played an important historical role in opposing communist rule in Czechoslovakia, and across the Eastern Bloc, before 1989.
It is in Europe’s interest that such broadcasting continues, Lipavský said, adding that RFE/RL provides crucial support to democratic forces in Eastern European and Asian countries.
He also called RFE/RL a “beacon” for those under totalitarian rule.
“From Belarus to Iran, from Russia to Afghanistan, RFE and Voice of America are among the few free sources for people living without freedom,” he said on X. He also suggested that those outlets are important for countering Kremlin narratives.
Euractiv spoke to media professionals in Central and Eastern European countries, all of whom shared the same concern: the abrupt funding cut could inflict lasting damage on the region’s media infrastructure.
“This is a gift to America’s enemies,” warned RFE/RL President Stephen Capus in an article published on Saturday, a sentiment echoed by the international press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, which condemned the move as a betrayal of America’s historic commitment to press freedom.
However, Trump’s allies, including senior US Agency for Global Media adviser Kari Lake, defend the cuts, arguing the agency is a “giant rot” wasting taxpayer dollars. Lake claimed that projected savings could hit $700 million by 2026.
Elon Musk, a key administration figure, cheered the decision on the X social media platform, which he owns. Musk dismissed the US government-backed outlets as “radical left crazy people talking to themselves”.
Centre-right Czech MEP Danuše Nerudová said she also intends to raise the broadcaster’s future within the European Parliament.
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