US allies withdrew from conference on disinformation under pressure, media write

The US State Department put pressure on diplomats from some EU countries and Canada over their participation in a conference on disinformation after the organizers announced discussions classifying the US as an “external threat,” Politico reports, citing diplomatic correspondence.

The annual international conference on countering disinformation is taking place this week in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The program includes sessions that describe the United States as a subject of "foreign information manipulation and interference" (FIMI). One such discussion involves two American researchers and a former CIA officer.

"The State Department has asked some, but not all, of these countries to reconsider participation in the event," the publication reported.

Canada and Lithuania refused to participate in the conference, the material notes.

In addition, cables were sent to the American embassies in France, Norway, Romania and Poland. The State Department instructed its diplomats to convey to the receiving party orally, and not in writing, that the United States was dissatisfied with the announced sessions. Officials from these countries still appear on the list of conference participants.