The European Union's Relations with Ukraine - An Analysis of the EU's Foreign Policy towards Ukraine and the Ongoing Conflict
Author
Jungmann, Julia
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Pages
81
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger Den Europæiske Unions (EU’s) forhold til Ukraine ved at analysere EU’s udenrigspolitik over for landet og EU’s håndtering af den igangværende krise på ukrainsk territorium. Ifølge FN var mere end 9.300 mennesker blevet dræbt i Ukraine-konflikten pr. maj 2016, hvilket gjorde den til en meget dødelig konflikt tæt på EU’s grænser på det tidspunkt. Krisen blev udløst af 'Euromajdan'-bevægelsen, som opstod i Kiev i slutningen af 2013 som en reaktion fra civilsamfundet på, at den daværende præsident Viktor Janukovitj afbrød forhandlingerne med EU om en associeringsaftale. En associeringsaftale er en aftale, der skal styrke politiske og økonomiske bånd og bringe et land tættere på EU og dermed Vesten. Aftalen havde bred opbakning blandt ukrainere, så beslutningen om at sætte forhandlingerne i bero kom som en overraskelse og udløste omfattende protester. Dermed blev både aftalen og EU centrale faktorer i konflikten. Specialet undersøger, hvad EU’s udenrigspolitik over for Ukraine konkret består af, og hvorfor EU valgte netop denne linje frem for andre muligheder. For at besvare dette anvendes to centrale teorier inden for international politik: realisme og liberalisme. I korte træk betoner realisme staters jagt på magt og sikkerhed, mens liberalisme fremhæver samarbejde, institutioner og fælles regler. Specialet udvikler to hypoteser, der afspejler hver tilgang, og bruger dem til at analysere EU’s tiltag for at vurdere, hvilken teori—eller om begge—har størst forklaringskraft i denne sag. Selvom fokus er på EU’s rolle, inddrages også Ukraine, Rusland og NATO samt deres indbyrdes relationer. Ved at belyse EU’s valg og begrundelser søger specialet at give et velunderbygget svar på forskningsspørgsmålet og at bidrage til den omfattende akademiske debat om Ukraine-konflikten.
This thesis examines the European Union’s (EU’s) relationship with Ukraine by analyzing the EU’s foreign policy toward the country and its response to the ongoing crisis on Ukrainian territory. According to the United Nations, as of May 2016 more than 9,300 people had been killed in the conflict, making it a very deadly crisis on the EU’s doorstep at the time. The crisis was triggered by the 'Euromaidan' movement, which began in Kiev in late 2013 as a response from civil society after then-President Viktor Yanukovych halted talks with the EU on an Association Agreement. An Association Agreement is a deal designed to deepen political and economic ties and bring a country closer to the EU and the West. Because the agreement had broad support among Ukrainians, suspending the talks came as a surprise and sparked widespread protests. As a result, both the agreement and the EU itself became important factors in the conflict. The thesis investigates what the EU’s foreign policy toward Ukraine consists of and why the Union chose this approach rather than another. To address this, it uses two major theories in international relations: realism and liberalism. In brief, realism focuses on states’ pursuit of power and security, while liberalism emphasizes cooperation, institutions, and shared rules. The study formulates two hypotheses reflecting each perspective and uses them to analyze the EU’s actions, assessing which theory—or whether both—offers better explanatory power in this case. While the main focus is the EU’s role, the positions of Ukraine, Russia, and NATO and their relationships with one another are also considered. By clarifying the EU’s choices and motives, the thesis seeks to provide a well-supported answer to the research question and to contribute to the wider academic discussion on the Ukraine crisis.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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