«Integration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization: Military and Political Aspects»
Students Name: Tsymbaliuk Sviatoslav
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: International Relations
Institute: Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Mode of Study: part
Academic Year: 2023-2024 н.р.
Language of Defence: ukrainian
Abstract: The relations between NATO and Ukraine were officially established in 1992 after Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, which was later renamed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. Despite this promising start to the relationship, there was a prolonged period of inactivity in terms of closer ties. A turning point can be considered the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of hostilities in eastern Ukraine. Following these events, the leadership of the country made a legislative decision to abandon non-aligned status and pursue closer ties with NATO. However, even with the aforementioned events, there are numerous political and military aspects that hinder Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance. The object of the research іs the integration policy of the North Atlantic Alliance. The subject of the study is military-political aspects of Ukraine’s integration into the North Atlantic Alliance. The purpose of the work is to determine the level of influence of military and political aspects on Ukraine’s integration into NATO. The master’s thesis explores the prospects and issues of Ukraine’s integration into the North Atlantic Alliance by analyzing events involving Ukraine and NATO, taking into account the geopolitical situation that unfolded during various periods of our country’s independence. Attention is focused on assessing the current state of Ukraine (including the Armed Forces) and NATO member states as a whole. The implementation of integration processes following full-scale aggression is highlighted, along with their impact on improving the defense capabilities of our country [1]. The main achievements of the North Atlantic Alliance as a security mechanism in the Euro-Atlantic region since its inception are outlined. Over more than thirty years of cooperation between Ukraine and NATO, a series of mechanisms aimed at improving relations between our country and the member states of the Alliance have been created and established. In the long term, this will help Ukraine become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The negative impact of Russian imperialism on the integration processes between Ukraine and the Alliance has been identified. The opportunities that opened up for Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression in 2014 and after the full-scale invasion in 2022 have been examined. The actions of key NATO institutions aimed at restraining aggressive actions by the Russian Federation and improving security mechanisms in Eastern Europe have been analyzed. The paper discusses two aspects crucial for Ukraine’s accession to NATO: political and military. Political aspects hindered our country’s accession to the organization due to a complex domestic political situation and the uncertainty of Ukraine’s population, influenced by a powerful information campaign conducted by Russian special services [2]. As for military aspects, the National Armed Forces, from Ukraine’s declaration of independence until 2014, were in a neglected state. Factors such as the expensive maintenance and provision of the army, embezzlement of weapons and military equipment at various levels, and the influence of Russian special services on the disorganization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces contributed to this state. The process of reforming the Ukrainian army according to Western standards began with the start of hostilities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. With the onset of full-scale invasion, Ukraine and the world as a whole faced a fundamentally new type of armed conflict, the methods of which will become fundamental for planning and conducting military operations in the future, where representatives of Ukraine will play a leading role [3]. Key words - national security, national resilience, risks, threats, vulnerabilities, state policy, hybrid warfare. List of used literary sources: 1. Резнікова О., Стратегічний аналіз безпекового середовища України (2022): https://niss.gov.ua/news/statti/stratehichnyy-analiz- bezpekovoho-seredovyshcha-ukrayiny 2. Relations with Ukraine: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_37750.htm 3.Алексієвець Л., Алексієвець М. Трансформація відносин України та НАТО в 1991–2019 рр.: історичний аспект.