Serhii Demediuk: «A Center of Competence for Cyber Resilience should be established in Ukraine»

On August 14, 2024, the Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the Deputy Head of the NCSCC Serhii Demediuk and the Head of the Information Security and Cybersecurity Department of the NSDC of Ukraine, the Secretary of the NCSСC Nataliya Tkachuk took part in the sixth round of the Cyber Dialogue, an annual discussion on cyber policy issues.

During the dialogue, the U.S. delegation reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine’s cyber defense in the face of the kremlin’s unprovoked invasion. As part of its commitment to digital solidarity in action, the United States has contributed a total of $82 million since February 2022, and over $120 million since 2016 in cyber and digital assistance. This assistance is a direct response to evolving russian threat activity. Strong ongoing U.S. support continues to help strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to detect, deter, and respond to cyber threats.

«russia is currently one of the biggest threats to both Ukraine and Western countries. The aggressor state is actively using innovative technologies developed in the West to conduct information and cyber operations. In this context, strengthening cooperation, especially in the exchange of cyber threat intelligence, between Ukraine and the United States is extremely important for increasing situational awareness and the effectiveness of joint counteraction to cyber threats. We are grateful to the United States for the sanctions imposed against russian hacker groups and companies that assist the russian government, but emphasize the need to expand them and strengthen control over their implementation», – said Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Serhii Demediuk in his speech.

The Deputy Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine emphasized the importance of establishing a Center of Competence on Cyber Resilience in Ukraine to strengthen cooperation and situational awareness of Ukraine and partner countries. He also expressed gratitude to American partners for their comprehensive support of Ukraine in strengthening its cybersecurity capabilities.

Dialogue participants discussed the current cyber threat landscape, the protection of sensitive data and critical infrastructure, and cyber governance. Ukraine and the United States explored deeper cooperation on cyber sanctions, cyber diplomacy, and combatting cybercrime, including in international fora. Both sides exchanged perspectives on innovation in cybersecurity and communication technology, connectivity, and the security and competitiveness of Ukrainian IT and telecommunications. They also discussed other avenues of cyber assistance to Ukraine, including through the Tallinn Mechanism, to help Ukraine uphold its right to self-defense in cyberspace and address longer-term cyber resilience needs.

Ukraine was also represented at the 6th meeting of the Cyber Dialogue by Deputy Foreign Minister Anton Demokhin, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Valeriia Ionan, Chair of the Administration of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection Yurii Myronenko, Deputy Chairman of the Security Service Serhii Naumiuk, Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization of the Ministry of Energy Roman Andarak, Deputy Governor of the National Bank Oleksii Shaban, the representatives from the Ministry of Defense, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Defense Intelligence, Foreign Intelligence Service, National Police.

From the U.S. side – Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel C. Fick, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, National Security Council Senior Director for Cyber Policy Matt Curtis, U.S. Coordinator of Assistance to Europe and Eurasia Maria Longi, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Executive Assistant Director Jeff Greene, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Chief of Staff Grace Abuhamad, and representatives from U.S. Embassy Kyiv, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Defense, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.