The Kremlin stated on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a matter of domestic policy that does not significantly impact Russia.
On Saturday, over 1,300 employees of Voice of America were put on leave, and funding for two U.S. news organizations that serve authoritarian regimes was cut, following Trump’s directive to dismantle the parent organization of these media outlets along with six other federal agencies.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked to reporters, “These media outlets are not particularly popular or in demand within the Russian Federation, so this decision does not concern us; it is solely an internal matter for the U.S. administration.”
In February of the previous year, Russia classified Radio Free Europe as an “undesirable organization,” effectively prohibiting its operations and complicating interactions with it.
