Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
The European Union should consider buying Radio Free Europe /
Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) after the United States cut funding for the organization,
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said on March 17.
He made the remarks during an interview with Ukrainska Pravda following a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
At the meeting, Lipavský raised the question of the network’s future to determine whether European partners see value in its work.
“If we—the EU—see value in Radio Free Europe, then it makes sense to explore ways to secure its future, including the possibility of buying it,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc will study possible ways to assist Radio Free Europe’s journalists.
On March 14, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to abolish seven federal agencies deemed “unnecessary.” Among them was the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which managed projects including RFE/RL and Voice of America.
Later, Voice of America staff in the United States received an email from human resources on March 15 informing them that they had been placed on administrative leave.
RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service continues to operate for now, but its funding will run out at the end of March.
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