The U.S. State Department approached diplomats from several EU countries and Canada, asking them to reconsider attending a conference on disinformation in Vilnius. The request followed sessions that portrayed the United States as a possible source of information interference, Politico reported.
The annual conference is taking place this week in the Lithuanian capital. Its programme included discussions of foreign information manipulation and interference, including a session on the role of the United States. The Guardian independently reported that the U.S. administration pressed several countries to withdraw support for the event, and that Canada, Lithuania and the EU’s diplomatic service later withdrew their sponsorship.
Politico reported that the State Department contacted some, but not all, countries whose representatives were attending. Diplomats at U.S. embassies in France, Norway, Romania and Poland were instructed to convey Washington’s displeasure with the announced topics verbally rather than in writing. Officials from those countries remained listed as participants.
The conference is taking place amid a dispute between Washington and European governments over freedom of speech and countering disinformation. In February, at the 61st Munich Security Conference, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said excessive restrictions on speech threatened Europe’s domestic stability and cooperation with the United States.