Hungary Blocks Ukraine’s NATO Cyber Defense Center Membership

Hungary has blocked Ukraine’s membership in NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).

The Secretary of the Ukrainian National Defense and Security Council (NSDC), Oleksiy Danilov confirmed it, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

Ukraine submitted an official request to join the CCDCOE in August 2021. Two months later, the procedure for approving the application began.

Ukraine was expected to become a member of the center on January 1, 2022, but the Hungarian government announced that it does not agree with the accession.

Also read: NATO-Ukraine Agreement on Enhanced Cyber Cooperation after ‘Massive’ Suspected Russian Cyberattack

Kyiv’s application could be revised, considering the recent cyber-attacks. But if the request is approved, it will be able to join the CCDCOE only in the second half of 2022, since the CCDCOE Council reviews the applications only twice a year.

Hungary has not yet publicly announced its position on this matter.

The Tallinn-based Cyber Defense Centre plays a major role in the Alliance's cyber defense activities. It was founded by seven countries, and today it has 20 members - 17 NATO members and 3 partner countries.