In the wake of reports that the Russian Federation interfered with recent elections in the United States and Europe, a Congressional delegation of members from the House Homeland Security Committee recently visited France, Poland, Estonia, and Ukraine to examine cybersecurity issues and discuss how to mitigate future cyber threats.
The delegation arrived in France one day prior to the country’s presidential elections. One of the candidates, Emanuel Macron, was the subject of a reported Russian misinformation campaign just days before. While there, the delegation met with France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Christian Masset and Ministry of Defense Counselor Jean-Claude Mallet to discuss issues related to cybersecurity and extremist groups that are actively plotting against the West.
After arriving in Poland, the members met with numerous government officials to hold talks on terrorism prevention, NATO capabilities, the promotion of democracy, and security cooperation.
The delegation then flew to Estonia, where they met with the country’s Prime Minister, Juri Ratas, to discuss matters of bilateral relations and cybersecurity cooperation.
Ukraine has been the subject of numerous Russian-backed cyberattacks in recent years, one of which disrupted service of the country’s electrical grid and left tens of thousands of people without power for an extended period of time. After arriving in country the delegation met with Ukraine’s President and Prime Minister to discuss matters of Russian aggression, U.S. support, cybersecurity, and the promotion of democracy and economic freedom in the area.
“We must continue to work with and support these European nations to combat any and all Russian efforts to destabilize and interfere with them,” U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), committee chairman, said. “After standing on the front-lines of Russian aggression and speaking with the leaders of these countries, I came away knowing we need to do all we can to support them, but also that we can all learn from their past experiences to bolster our own cybersecurity posture and national security.”