Ukrainian-Russian Relations—European and Eurasian Contexts

Abstract

In terms of civilization and culture, Ukraine is both a European and a Eurasian state with priorities—Russia and the West—determined by foreign and by domestic factors. Ukraine's unnatural, contradictory, and dual-vectored foreign policy, the object of bitter discussion and criticism for several years, is influenced by complex patterns of postcommunist reforms that are creating a new geopolitical reality and by the impact on it of two different regions—Greater Europe and Eastern Europe. Russia's special role in these processes is obvious. The foreign policy of the two states and Ukrainian-Russian relations largely determine both the nature and the pace of change in the eastern part of the continent, as well as the chances of achieving stability and optimal conditions for cooperation throughout Europe.