Ukraine and the European Union held their 5th Cyber Dialogue in Brussels on 9 October. The exchanges highlighted the importance and depth of the Ukraine-EU cyber partnership, spanning from operational cybersecurity cooperation, alignment to EU norms and policies, to cyber defence and diplomacy, including sanctions. Against the backdrop of Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine, the increasingly complex cyber threat landscape, and Ukraine’s ongoing EU accession process, the Dialogue reaffirmed the shared determination of Ukraine and the EU to further strengthen cooperation and jointly address persistent and evolving cyber threats.
Participants exchanged on the cyber threat landscape and took stock of recent cybersecurity policy developments. These discussions showed the common understanding between Ukraine and the EU on a broad range of cyber-related issues.
Ukraine and the EU exchanged views on the implementation of relevant reforms and Ukraine’s approximation to key pillars of the EU legal framework, such as the NIS2 Directive, the Cyber Resilience Act. The participants discussed the advancement on the implementation of the 5G Cybersecurity Toolbox in Ukraine, as a key priority for the security of the telecommunication networks and an economic backbone for Ukraine and the EU’s economies.
The Dialogue also addressed operational cooperation, cyber crisis management and cyber defence, and the use of the Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox, as part of the broader response to malicious cyber activities. Ukraine and the EU further discussed operational cooperation in countering cybercrime and support to cybercrime investigations, developments related to the EU Cybersecurity Reserve and ongoing cyber capacity building and assistance, including in the context of the Tallinn Mechanism and in light of the expanded mandate of EUAM Ukraine.
Ukraine and the EU also exchanged views on multilateral cyber discussions, including efforts to promote responsible state behaviour in cyberspace within the newly established UN Global Mechanism, as well as broader discussions on cybercrime in the context of international Conventions. Finally, they discussed the role of public-private partnerships and synergies between Ukrainian and the EU’s cybersecurity industries in strengthening collective cyber resilience and innovation.
Ukraine and the EU agreed to further deepen their cyber cooperation, with a focus on delivering concrete operational results. In this context, they welcomed the extensive ongoing cooperation between the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and its Ukrainian counterparts. Further to this, to reinforce the cooperation between Ukraine and the EU, representatives of the Cybersecurity Service for European Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies (CERT-EU) and the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) signed an administrative arrangement during the Dialogue. The aim of the arrangement is to initiate the exchange between CERT-EU and its Ukrainian counterpart, CERT-UA, that will enhance the capabilities of both sides in preventing, detecting and mitigating cyber incidents in their respective constituencies.
The EU reiterated its continued and unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression. Ukraine reaffirmed its readiness to continue sharing its unique experience, expertise and operational insights contributing to the EU’s efforts to counter state-sponsored cyber threats and malicious cyber activity.
This fifth Dialogue was co-chaired by Andrii Droniuk, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister and the EEAS Director for Security and Defence Policy, Maciej Stadejek as well, as DG CNECT Acting Director for Cybersecurity and Trust, Christiane Kirketerp de Viron. On Ukrainian side the Dialogue brought together representatives the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ministry of Defence, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Office of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, State Service of the Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. The European External Action Service, European Commission services, ENISA, Europol, the European Security and Defence College, and the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine were participating on the EU side. The EU Member States participated as observers.
On the margins of the Dialogue the Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Droniuk held separate meetings with the representatives of the Belgian Federal Public Service Policy and Support (BOSA), the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre (NICC) and, together with the Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Olha Krevska, a joint meeting with Deputy Directors of the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect) Despina Spanou and Renate Nikolay.