The visit focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation between Estonia and the United States in cyber defence, growing global cyber threats and support for Ukraine’s cyber capabilities.
Ambassador Helen Popp stressed that cyberattacks are continuing to increase worldwide, becoming increasingly targeted and sophisticated. “It is therefore extremely important for Estonia to strengthen cross-border cooperation, improve our collective cyber resilience and ensure that the rules-based international order, founded on international law, also applies in cyberspace. In our meetings at the US State Department and with experts from the White House National Security Council, we discussed the growing challenges and the best formats for further developing cyber defence cooperation between our countries,” Popp said, adding that the United States had expressed interest in further strengthening bilateral cooperation with Estonia.
Several discussions during the visit highlighted lessons learned from Ukraine. “In 2025, Ukraine’s cyberspace continued to be subject to attacks, both against the public sector and critical infrastructure, through which Russia sought to advance the objectives of its war of aggression and break the resolve of the Ukrainian people. Over the past year, Ukraine has made significant efforts to improve the cyber defence of its critical infrastructure, both through technical protective measures and at the level of strategic management,” Popp said.
Continued support for Ukraine was also discussed at a roundtable on Ukraine’s cyber defence organised in Washington by the Estonian Embassy and the Atlantic Council. “The roundtable brought together various US government agencies and stakeholders for an in-depth discussion of relevant lessons from Ukraine in the field of cyber defence. We discussed ways to continue supporting Ukraine, including how to strengthen Ukraine’s civilian cyber infrastructure, as well as what both Estonia and the United States can learn from Ukraine’s experience in developing cyber resilience,” the Ambassador said. A second roundtable, organised by the Estonian Embassy and the Cyber Security Forum Initiative, focused on transatlantic information sharing, challenges arising from the use of emerging technologies and opportunities to advance cross-border cooperation. “At various meetings in Washington, it was recognised that, despite Estonia’s small size, we are an influential and trusted partner in the Euro-Atlantic area,” the Ambassador added.
