Top White House cyber official to meet with Europeans amid Russia tensions

The White House is dispatching its top cyber official to Europe for meetings with allies on countering cyberthreats from Russia, a senior Biden administration official said. 

Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, is expected to meet with her European Union counterparts and NATO representatives in Brussels this week, according to the official.  

Neuberger will also travel to Warsaw to meet with Polish and Baltic officials and members of the Bucharest Nine, which includes the NATO members Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.  

“Across all of these engagements, our focus is on ensuring that the United States and our Allies and partners are prepared for any cyber-related contingency and prepared to respond in the current environment,” the official said. “We will also discuss how we will coordinate and support Ukraine, and each other, in the event that cyberattacks occur.” 

The trip punctuates growing worries about the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine as Moscow has amassed tens of thousands of troops at the Ukrainian border.  

The U.S. and Russia clashed over Ukraine at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday, during which U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Moscow of threatening the peace and security of Europe.  

U.S. officials have warned that Russia could resort to cyberattacks or other forms of aggression against Ukraine. Russian hackers have previously been blamed for a cyberattack against Ukraine’s power grid.  

Moscow could also launch cyberattacks against the U.S. or other nations in retaliation for a response to a Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

Ukraine has fingered Russia in a cyberattack that took down government websites earlier this month. The U.S. has not yet publicly attributed the attack.  

In addition to the in-person meetings in Europe, Neuberger will also meet virtually with German and French representatives, the senior Biden administration official said.