Czech Radio: US ends disinformation pact with Czechia

The United States has withdrawn from a memorandum signed with Czechia to jointly combat disinformation, Czech Radio reported, citing confirmation from the Czech Foreign Ministry. The move follows the policy of President Donald Trump’s administration, which views counter-disinformation initiatives as censorship. Washington sent Prague an official note on September 1 announcing the decision. The memorandum was originally signed in May 2024 by then–Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Spolu), stressing the threat posed by Kremlin propaganda. Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since dissolved the Global Engagement Center, an Obama-era agency coordinating such efforts. According to Rubio, the government should not decide what counts as disinformation but instead counter “false narratives with truthful ones.” Czech diplomacy declined to comment beyond acknowledging receipt of the U.S. note.