U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) will cease operations in Hungary, concluding a five-year run of a media service that a U.S. official said had complicated President Donald Trump’s foreign policy with a key ally.
Founded in 1950 to broadcast into communist-controlled countries during the Cold War, RFE/RL continues to reach millions across — including Russia and Ukraine — as well as Central Asia and the Middle East, with a mission of supporting independent journalism.
The outlet, however, has faced significant pressure amid efforts to reduce government spending under Trump, who regards Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a right-wing nationalist, as a close partner within the European Union.
Kari Lake, Trump’s appointee overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which includes RFE/RL, said earlier this month that taxpayer-funded media should not be used to “destabilize” Hungary.
In a November 5 letter to Congress, reposted by Lake on X, she said funding for RFE/RL would be terminated, arguing that its “programming has undermined President Trump’s foreign policy by opposing the duly elected Prime Minister of Hungary.”
Orbán’s tightening grip over media
Hungary was one of only three EU countries where RFE/RL maintained operations, alongside Romania and Bulgaria.
In a statement Thursday night, RFE/RL said its staff had worked “with dedication to provide independent journalism for audiences in Hungary.”
Hungary transitioned from communism to democracy in 1989, like other Central European states that later joined the EU. Although RFE/RL’s Hungarian service shut down in 1993, it was revived in 2020 amid what the organization described as “a decline in diverse media voices.”
Critics have long accused Orbán of expanding government influence over the media during more than 15 years in power, noting that public broadcasters were brought under full state control and several private outlets were shuttered or absorbed by pro-government owners. Orbán has denied curbing media freedoms.
Szabad Európa, RFE/RL’s Hungarian-language service — an online outlet producing articles, videos, and podcasts — covered topics including government actions in the courts and justice system. In 2024, it won a legal case granting access to state highway contract information.
Tough election ahead
Orbán currently trails the new centre-right opposition party Tisza in polls ahead of next year’s election.
On November 7, he met with Trump at the White House, where he secured a one-year extension of U.S. sanctions exemptions for Russian oil and gas, resources on which Hungary heavily depends.
