US pledges to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure from cyberattacks in ‘most powerful’ security deal

Ukraine has signed a long-anticipated security agreement with the U.S. aimed at bolstering Kyiv's defenses against Russian invaders, including in cyberspace.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the new deal as “the most powerful” the country has ever signed.

The agreement promises to provide humanitarian, military, and cyber support to Kyiv for the next decade. It is also “a key part of Ukraine’s bridge to NATO membership,” according to a statement by the White House on Thursday.

Ukraine has already signed similar bilateral deals with 17 countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, Canada, and Japan, and is preparing to sign 10 more, according to Zelensky.

The agreements are based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) countries last July, which includes assistance to help Ukraine protect its networks from cyberattacks and counter disinformation.

The U.S. agreed to help Ukraine strengthen the cyber defense of its critical infrastructure, including energy facilities and government services, in order to counter threats from Russia and other hostile state and non-state actors.

“Both countries commit to working together to improve Ukraine's ability to detect and eliminate [cyber] intrusions, including through the use of technical assistance from the U.S.,” the agreement said.

U.S. aid, according to this deal, also includes measures to help Ukraine counter Russian disinformation and propaganda, but it didn’t specify how it would be implemented.

The new security agreement was signed Thursday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, but it had been discussed since at least August of the previous year.

Ukraine’s deputy head of the Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP), Oleksandr Potii, told Recorded Future News on the sidelines of the CyCon cybersecurity conference in Estonia in May that the agreement was at the final stage as the U.S. was “scrupulously approaching the wording.”

Potii said that bilateral security deals are important to Ukraine since they secure long-term support from partners, even after the war is over.

Washington is Kyiv’s biggest ally and has provided a total of $175 billion in aid since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“The agreement furthers our goal of a secure, sovereign, and independent Ukraine that is integrated with the Euro-Atlantic community and militarily capable of defeating Russian aggression now and deterring it in the future,” the U.S. State Department said.