European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas attends the EU-Ukraine Association Council at the European Council building in Brussels April 9, 2025.
Omar Havana/AP
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Omar Havana/AP
The European Union has stepped in to provide Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty an infusion of millions of dollars to keep functioning as the international broadcaster battles the Trump administration to release funds Congress has already designated for it.
“We are grateful for the emergency funding to help keep Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty afloat,” the network’s president, Steve Capus, said in a statement from Brussels, where he has been meeting with European officials.
“Radio Liberty’s survival remains at risk as long as these funds are withheld,” Capus said, referring to $75 million held back by the Trump administration.
Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were founded in the early 1950s as part of Cold War initiatives to combat Soviet propaganda and influence. They later merged. The news network seeks to provide non-ideological news coverage and programming to countries in Eastern Europe and neighboring states where the press is not able to operate freely.
Last year, more than 47 million unique users relied on its coverage each week in 23 countries, according to the network, including in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states, Hungary, Iran and other countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The Trump administration initially sought to dismantle Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and its sister networks, including Voice of America. His senior adviser, Kari Lake, has called them biased and claimed they served up anti-American fare.
While President Trump has cited a need to identify major budget cuts throughout government, his actions fit neatly into a larger strategy to undermine the news media’s finances and independence.
Actions include executive orders purporting to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting and purporting to fire board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Trump’s appointee atop the Federal Communications Commission launched investigations of all major broadcast networks save Fox (owned by Trump’s ally, Rupert Murdoch). And Trump and his allies have filed private civil lawsuits against major news outlets.
Lake, the senior presidential adviser, oversaw the termination of contracts for more than 500 people at Voice of America and its parent agency last week. An appellate court is considering a lawsuit from a coalition of journalists, employees, unions and press advocates who say her actions violate federal law and free speech protections.
The U.S. government withheld monthly payments from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty until a federal judge ordered $12 million released. The parent outfit, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, belatedly sent the funds for April. The network is still awaiting its federal payment for May.
On Monday, RFE/RL filed a request for a new temporary restraining order with the court to compel payments for this month.
The network has requested a preliminary injunction to compel the agency to release the full $75 million allocated for the remainder of the fiscal year, which concludes on September 30.
As a result, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has placed numerous employees on furlough, terminated contracts with freelancers, and reduced programming.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced a contribution of $6.2 million to support the essential work of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
“This funding serves as short-term emergency assistance to uphold the network’s independent journalism,” she explained.
Despite Sweden’s previous commitment to provide $2 million in support of RFE/RL’s reporting, the funds have not yet been received.
Former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy under President Barack Obama, Rick Stengel, emphasized the significance of RFE’s reporting on Russia and Hungary, as well as their influence on other European nations. He also suggested that the current funding crisis could lead to a more sustainable funding model in the future.
“Originally established as a post-World War II and Cold War initiative to support European countries affected by Soviet dominance, there is now an opportunity to create a funding consortium for RFE that includes contributions from both Europe and America,” Stengel proposed.
Such an approach would reduce dependence on the uncertainties of U.S. administration, he added.
