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Hungarian service of Radio Free Europe ends as Trump cuts funding

Hungarian service of Radio Free Europe ends as Trump cuts funding

Apnews November 21, 2025 10:51 am

Radio Free Europe's Hungarian service, Szabad Európa, has ceased operations after the Trump administration decided to cut its funding. The U.S. government originally established Radio Free Europe during the Cold War to provide news to people behind the Iron Curtain. Szabad Európa was reintroduced in 2020 due to concerns about media freedom in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The closure follows significant cuts to international broadcasters by the Trump administration. Kari Lake, a senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, informed Congress that the Hungarian service was not aligned with U.S. national interests.