By Elizabeth Piper
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain and its allies will not be intimidated by Russian cyberthreats into stopping supporting Ukraine, British cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said on Monday, urging NATO to work closer together to stay ahead in "the new AI arms race".
In the latest Western warning about Moscow stepping up cyber attacks on nations backing Ukraine, McFadden said the U.S.-led military alliance, businesses and institutions must do "everything they can to lock their own digital doors" to protect themselves from what he called an increasingly aggressive Russia.
Addressing a NATO Cyber Defence Conference in London, McFadden called for allies to double down on their support for Kyiv against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he said was trying "to deter our support for Ukraine with his threats".
"We will not join those voices of weakness who want to give Putin a veto over our help for Ukraine," McFadden said without offering details.
"While no one should underestimate the Russian aggressive and reckless cyber threat to NATO, we will not be intimidated by it and we will never allow it to dictate our decisions or policies. And we will do everything we can to defend our countries against it."
Moscow did not immediately comment on McFadden's remarks. It has previously denied that it carries out cyberattacks, and officials have cast such accusations as attempts to incite anti-Russian sentiment.
McFadden said NATO needed to find ways to strengthen its collective cybersecurity and unveiled plans by Britain to set up a new Laboratory for AI (artificial intelligence) Security Research to help create better defence tools and organise intelligence.
The laboratory, supported with an initial 8.22 million pounds ($10.3 million) of government funding, will bring together academic and government experts to assess the impact of AI on national security and better understand its use by Russia.
"Seventy-five years after its foundation, it is clear we need NATO more than ever," he said.
McFadden, whose role as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster includes responsibility for national security, also said he, alongside senior national security officials, would be "sitting down with British businesses to discuss how they can boost their security" in a few days.
McFadden said AI could be weaponised against those countries supportive of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 to step up what he described as the daily reality of cyber warfare against Britain and its allies.
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