At Ukraine’s major cyber conference, Europe takes center stage over US

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s major annual cybersecurity conference looked and sounded different this year, as U.S. government support was gone and Ukraine’s second-biggest ally, Europe, had to take the lead. 

Last year, the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum was organized with support from the U.S. Department of State, and top American cyber officials, including Nathaniel Fick and Jen Easterly, were among the honored guests.

For 2025, however, the situation was different. The U.S. loomed large as an unspoken presence, but no Trump administration officials attended the conference amid geopolitical tensions between Kyiv and Washington, which hold different visions of how to end the war with Russia.

Unlike last year, when U.S. representatives openly discussed ongoing cooperation and continued donor support for Ukraine, the conversations this week largely steered clear of questions regarding future collaboration between the countries.

Several U.S.-based private tech companies — including Google, Cloudflare, CrowdStrike and Fortinet — were named as conference partners for the two-day event, which wrapped up Wednesday. 

However, only Sandra Joyce, vice president of Google-owned Mandiant, delivered a keynote speech. The remainder of the stage show was predominantly occupied by officials from the EU and European private cybersecurity firms.

“Mandiant was here the first five minutes of the conflict and we will be here in the last minute of the conflict,” Joyce said.

And yet, the U.S. role in helping Ukraine counter Russian cyberthreats was barely mentioned on the panels, while discussions about Ukraine’s future cyber strategy were heavily Europe-focused.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Anton Demokhin told Recorded Future News on the sidelines of the conference that the absence of American speakers “reflects the U.S. position at this particular moment regarding participation in such events.” On Thursday, a team of U.S. negotiators reportedly arrived in Moscow to discuss a potential ceasefire in the war.

“The U.S. has been and remains a strategic partner, and that hasn’t changed,” Demokhin said, adding that the future of this partnership depends on how relations develop with the new administration.

According to Demokhin, Ukraine already has a cyber dialogue planned with the U.S., which may take place later this year, though he did not provide further details.

Many Ukrainian state organizations previously received funding from American entities like USAID, allowing them to purchase equipment and launch projects to help protect their networks from Russian cyberattacks.

Several sources from Ukraine’s cyber agencies, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the matter, said their organizations benefited from U.S. aid, as it allowed them to use software from American vendors that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.

Moving toward Europe

Although Ukraine acknowledges that global cooperation is crucial for combating and deterring Russian cyberthreats, local experts suggest that the “format” of this partnership needs to change.

Ukraine’s experience with offensive cyber operations against Russia is unique in Europe, said Natalia Tkachuk, head of cyber and information security at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

“When we talk about international partnerships today, it can’t just be about joint exercises, knowledge sharing, or academic projects. We need to start a conversation about building a collective European cybersecurity framework,” Tkachuk said during one of the panels. “Ukraine’s experience and expertise could serve as the foundation for such an alliance.”

Read more: Ukraine seeks to bolster offensive cyber capabilities amid rising threats from Russia

Oleksandr Potii, chairman of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSCIP), said that Ukraine is actively expanding international cooperation in cybersecurity.

“Ukraine not only receives help from its partners but could also make a significant contribution to global cybersecurity by providing analytical data and sharing its expertise in cyber defense,” Potii added.

To formalize this partnership, Potii signed a memorandum of understanding with Luca Tagliaretti, the executive director of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC). The document outlines how the organizations can exchange  information and expertise.

At last year’s conference, Ukraine signed a similar agreement with the U.S. Nathaniel Fick, who was the top U.S. cyber diplomat at the time, said he was pleased with the results of U.S.-Ukraine cooperation over the past two years and added that both sides planned to deepen their cybersecurity collaboration. Soon after President Donald Trump took office, the State Department reportedly halted funding for cyber diplomacy programs.

This week, when Potii thanked international partners attending the event, all of them represented European organizations.

"Your support and willingness to strengthen collective cyber resilience are extremely valuable to us,” he said. “Effective cybersecurity is possible only through joint efforts.”