The Trump administration reportedly pressured several countries to withdraw their sponsorship of a prominent European conference on disinformation. Canada, Lithuania, and the EU's diplomatic service subsequently agreed to the request, according to reports.
The #Disinfo2026 conference, an annual gathering for Europe's counter-disinformation community, is taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania. Days before the event, the logos of the Lithuanian ministry of foreign affairs, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and Global Affairs Canada were removed from the conference website and materials.
Sources familiar with the matter, including European officials, confirmed that the US State Department had contacted multiple governments regarding their support for the conference. Internal State Department documents reportedly show US officials thanking Lithuania for "taking US concerns seriously" and welcoming its decision to limit involvement.
The State Department's focus was reportedly on a panel titled "USA as a FIMI threat: adapt, acknowledge, push back," which explored the idea of the US as a disinformation actor in Europe. Lithuania, Canada, and the EU stated that the conference program did not align with their official views on the US role in disinformation, despite the program being in place for months prior to their withdrawal.