Trump administration ends disinformation cooperation with Europe
The Trump administration has unilaterally ended cooperation with European countries in the fight against disinformation from Russia, China and Iran.
The US has sent official notifications to terminate memorandums of understanding signed during the Joe Biden administration, according to The Moscow Times, citing the Financial Times (FT) and European officials.
The memorandums were part of a US initiative coordinated by the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department agency. It is dedicated to combating disinformation spread abroad by US adversaries and terrorist groups, writes Ukrainska Pravda, also citing the same source.
The FT notes that last week, European nations received a message from the US State Department informing them that Washington was ending the memorandums of understanding signed the previous year. These memorandums were intended to form a common approach for identifying and exposing harmful information from the mentioned countries.
James Rubin, who led the centre until December, called the decision “a unilateral act of disarmament” in the information war with Russia and China.
“Information warfare is a reality of our time, and artificial intelligence will only amplify the risks associated with it.”
According to Rubin, around 22 countries in Europe and Africa signed agreements with the US last year. These became part of the Biden administration's programme to counter foreign state manipulation, with the aim of creating a shared understanding of the threat and cooperating with partner states for a coordinated response.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
