Budrys warns against making disinformation fight anti-American

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said the fight against disinformation should not become an anti-American issue, LRT reported, after Lithuania withdrew its support for a Vilnius conference on the subject.

Budrys told LRT Radio that Lithuania’s decision to distance itself from the conference was prompted by criticism of the United States in its programme. He said the programme placed the US alongside Russia and China, which he described as threats to Lithuania’s security.

“This does not reflect our assessment and positions, so we decided to withdraw from the event and consider how, in future, to prevent the fight against disinformation from becoming an anti-American theme that weakens our ties with allies,” Budrys said. He added that Lithuania acts independently.

The US president Donald Trump’s administration had pressured Lithuanian, European Union and Canadian diplomats to withdraw from the conference, Politico reported on Thursday. The programme includes several presentations on US information influence operations abroad.

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said some parts of the programme did not align with the government’s positions or Lithuania’s national interests. Budrys criticised the organisers, saying they had overreached and made a serious mistake.