Lithuania and Canada withdraw support for disinformation conference under US pressure
Lithuania, Canada and the EU's External Action Service have pulled their backing from Europe's largest conference on countering disinformation. Media reports say the US government pushed for this because it was unhappy with the agenda.
According to Politico and The Guardian, the US government has pressed Lithuania, Canada and the European Union's External Action Service to withdraw their support for a conference devoted to fighting disinformation, described as the largest event of its kind in Europe.
Washington's displeasure was triggered by the conference programme. It included discussions on the possible role the United States itself may have played in spreading disinformation abroad.
The source gives no further details, such as what specific measures or arguments the US used, or how the organisers responded to the supporters' withdrawal. It also does not say whether the event will go ahead as planned.
