Ukraine Security Environment in the context of EU-Russia Competition

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In 2014, Russia''s annexation of Crimea and the Russian military intervention in eastern Ukraine dismantled the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis affected not only Russia–Ukraine relations; the relationship between the EU, the NATO and Russia also changed. Due to the Ukraine crisis, the subsequent European sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions have affected both parties financially. The military intervention of Russia in Ukraine has challenged the European security system since the end of the Cold War, and NATO has strengthened its military forces in Central and Eastern Europe and engaged in mutual deterrence with Russia at the border. This study employed geopolitical and geo-economic perspectives to examine the correlation between EU–Russia relations and the security of Ukraine. The geopolitical competition between the EU and Russia and the fluctuating path of national development in Ukraine led to the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, which has transformed EU–Russia relations and the Ukraine’s security environment. This study proposes that the Ukraine crisis was a turning point in the deterioration of EU–Russia relations and that since then, the EU and Russia have shifted toward a high level of competition in terms of military security. The EU’s economic sanctions on Russia have tended to be ineffective, the Ukraine issue continues to be at a standstill, and the EU and Russia have fallen into a deadlock on sanctions. Affected by the crisis and after Petro Poroshenko was elected as the President of Ukraine in 2014, Ukraine’s security policy shifted to a pro-Western direction and sought NATO membership.