The European Union (EU) has agreed to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat, Euronews reports.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s foreign ministers had agreed to a €5.5 million contract to "support the vital work of Radio Free Europe."

The "short-term emergency funding" is a "safety net" for independent journalism, she said.

Kallas said the EU would not be able to fill the organization’s funding gap around the world, but that it can help the broadcaster to "work and function in those countries that are in our neighborhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside."

She said that she hoped the 27 EU member states would also provide more funds to help Radio Free Europe in the long term.

Kallas said the bloc has been looking for "strategic areas" where it can help as the United States slashes foreign aid.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's corporate headquarters are in Washington and its journalistic headquarters are based in the Czech Republic.

Earlier, the administration of US President Donald Trump stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet, accusing it of promoting a news agenda with a liberal bias.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War.

Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Its lawyers have been fighting the Trump administration's aforesaid decision in court.