Ukraine has signed four security agreements with its Western allies over the last two months, hoping to receive additional cybersecurity, military and humanitarian support as its ongoing war with Russia reaches the three-year mark.

The security deals for Ukraine are based on the pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) countries last July. “Never before have we had such a security foundation,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at that time.

Ukraine has already entered into 10-year agreements with the U.K., Germany, France and Denmark — the first non-G7 country to finalize the deal. Norway, the Netherlands, and Italy said they also hope to sign security agreements with Ukraine soon.

On Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Italy is ready to help Kyiv strengthen its defense industry and counter hybrid threats, such as cyber warfare.

“Now, it is more important than ever to ensure that attacked David can defend itself against the Russian Goliath,” Tajani said.

Cyber promises

According to the agreements, Ukraine will receive support in five areas where the war unfolds — on land, in the air, at sea, in space, and the cyber domain.

The cyber support primarily involves assistance to help Ukraine protect its networks from Russian cyberattacks and counter disinformation.

For example, the security deal with Denmark, signed on Friday during the visit of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to Ukraine, promises to assist Ukraine in “preventing, detecting, and countering Russian cyber aggression, cyber espionage, and hybrid warfare.”

This also includes “reinforcing cyber diplomacy, providing technical assistance to Ukraine, and enhancing its cyber resilience,” according to the official document published on Zelensky's website.

Germany has also committed to helping Ukraine protect its infrastructure from cyberattacks and modernize the country's security and intelligence architecture, according to an agreement secured earlier in February.

Berlin will also provide training for Ukrainian cybersecurity experts “based on EU standards in the field of IT security.”

France said it will work with Ukraine “to raise the cost of the irresponsible use of cyber capabilities by Russia and other hostile state and non-state actors.” Paris will also assist Kyiv in combating cybercrime and organized crime.

For example, Ukrainian and French law enforcement will conduct joint operations against “individuals attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian society, exert criminal influence in specific regions, and serve as tools of hybrid warfare."

Fighting disinformation

Another important aspect of these agreements is the joint fight against Russian disinformation, which affects both Ukraine and its Western allies.

For instance, Germany said that as part of this agreement, it will help Ukraine counter threats to information security, “including propaganda and other forms of foreign malicious interference, such as disinformation.”

During the security conference in Munich last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Russia is attempting to undermine German support for Ukraine through disinformation campaigns and propaganda on social media.

Earlier in February, French foreign ministry officials said that Russia has escalated its disinformation efforts in Poland, Germany, and France. The Kremlin's goal with these campaigns is to amplify Russia's perceived success in the war in Ukraine, justify its invasion, discredit Ukraine's military and undermine Western support for Ukraine, including the supply of weapons to Kyiv, according to French officials.

Europe is especially vulnerable to information campaigns this year as it prepares for the EU Parliament elections in June, according to the French agency responsible for fighting foreign digital interference, Viginum.

Ukraine, not a member of the EU or NATO, has depended on international support, including cyber aid, since the beginning of the war.

Earlier in December, almost a dozen European countries and the U.S. launched a new system called the Tallinn Mechanism to continue supporting Ukraine’s cyber efforts. This mechanism is designed to “prioritize, de-conflict, and accelerate cyber and tech assistance to Ukraine.”

It is not yet clear how Ukraine's new security agreements with European allies will be implemented in practice, but Zelensky praised these efforts during the conference in Munich.

The EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine demonstrated that, like the U.S., Europe can also be a force “that prevents chaos,” according to Zelensky.

“Every defense coalition we have created proves this. Every security agreement we have signed implements it,” Zelensky said.