EU officials in Brussels discussed their efforts to support Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a U.S.-funded news outlet originally established during the Cold War to reach audiences under communism. They expressed concerns about potential challenges in replacing the funding withdrawn by Donald Trump. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky advocated for finding ways to sustain the Prague-based service in regions lacking free media.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas praised Radio Free Europe as "a beacon of democracy" and lamented the U.S. funding cut. While recognizing difficulties in filling the financial gap, she emphasized the need for EU assistance. Kallas stated, "Can we come in with our funding...? not automatically...this is the tasking to our side, to see what can we do."
Following President Trump's decision to terminate grants to RFE/RL, its journalists continued their work with stories published on the website. RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus warned that cutting the grant agreement would benefit America's adversaries.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski indicated willingness to assist both Radio Free Europe and Voice of America, which faced layoffs. In a controversial move, Trump signed an executive order targeting U.S. government-funded media outlets, prompting criticism from tech entrepreneur Elon Musk who called for RFE/RL to be closed.