The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is interested in cooperation with the U.S. intelligence service on a number of important issues related to national security, in particular, cybersecurity, countering hybrid warfare, combating terrorism and professional training of employees, said SBU head Ivan Bakanov.
According to him, cooperation with the United States provides Ukraine with more opportunities to build an effective national security system.
“Partnership with the United States allows us to more effectively defend our state. And this is very important when Ukraine is confronted by such a powerful enemy as Russia. And the presence of this threat requires us to act in a systematic and effective manner,” Bakanov was quoted as saying during a meeting with representatives of American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), the SBU press service said on Monday.
Bakanov noted that the National Security Strategy defines only the Euro-Atlantic vector for Ukraine. And, in his opinion, such a partnership should be expanded today.
“Ukraine seeks to obtain the status of the main U.S. ally outside NATO, and in the future – membership in the Alliance. According to the head of the SBU, this will contribute not only to military cooperation, but also to effectively protect Ukraine from Russian aggression and the de-occupation of Donbas and Crimea,” the SBU said.
They note that during the meeting, the head of the SBU outlined areas of cooperation with the United States, in which the Ukrainian special service is especially interested, among which, in particular, cyber security, countering hybrid war, the fight against terrorism and professional training of employees.
“In addition, the head of the Security Service called on AFPC to facilitate Ukraine’s joining the U.S. President’s Cyber Flag initiative for the collective protection of states in cyberspace,” the SBU said.
The SBU clarifies that the American side at the meeting was represented by President of the American Foreign Policy Council Herman Pirchner, the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE in 2019-2021 James Gilmore, former U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN John Lerner, Director of the Center for U.S.-Ukraine Relations in Washington Mykola Gritskovyan, Senior Fellow at AFPC and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, Alexander Gray.
The SBU also reminds that the American Foreign Policy Council was created in 1982 with headquarters in Washington. It is a non-profit public organization serving as a think tank for the U.S. Congress. Among international issues, AFPC thoroughly investigates changes in the countries of the post-Soviet space, the Eurasian continent as a whole, and makes recommendations to members of the U.S. Congress.
