Ukraine and NATO: problems, challenges, prospects

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Ukraine and NATO: problems, challenges, prospects

Olga Mansur, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University; Oksana Netreba, Vasyl Stefanyk Prykarpattia National University; Johan Bilgin, University of Tirana; Idlir Yardim, University of Albania; Nihal Ulusay, Bilkent University

Анотація

Україна і НАТО: проблеми, виклики, перспективи

Ольга Мансур, Чернівецький національний університет імені Юрія Федьковича; Оксана Нетреба, Прикарпатський національний університет імені Василя Стефаника; Йохан Білгін, Університет Тирании; Ідлір Ярдім, Албанський університет; Ніхал Улусай, Університет Білкент

З початку здобуття Україною незалежності, а саме 24 серпня 1991 року, як теоретики, так і практиканти з соціальних і правових наук вели активну дискусію щодо доцільності її вступу до НАТО. Проте, особливої актуальності це питання набуло після 24 лютого 2022 року, коли Російська Федерація розпочала повномасштабну війну проти України, і безумовно воно залишається на порядку денному досі, оскільки стосується гарантій національної безпеки та незалежності держави. Виходячи з цього, ціль дослідження полягає у визначенні поточних проблем, викликів та перспектив, що стосуються процесу вступу України до НАТО. Для її досягнення в роботу було залучено метод аналізу і синтезу, порівняння, дедукції, а також історичний. В результаті проведення дослідження було встановлено, що вступ України до НАТО є пріоритетним напрямком для її майбутнього розвитку та безпеки. У роботі вдалося проаналізувати основні євроатлантичні перспективи для України, найголовнішою з яких на даний момент є захист її території іншими країнами-членами альянсу.

Проаналізовані сучасні виклики дозволили встановити, що в умовах поточної російсько-української війни, українська влада реалізувала низку заходів, спрямованих на розвиток військо-політичної галузі, зокрема відмовилась від позаблокової позиції, затвердила оновлену Стратегію національної безпеки України, а головне затвердила євроатлантичний напрямок розвитку України в Конституції України. У висновку вдалося розкрити не лише пріоритетність вступу України до НАТО, а й також дослідити практичні засоби та інструменти, які використовуються вже на даний момент для реалізації цього процесу. Практична цінність роботи полягає у тому, що її результати можуть бути використаними як теоретиками, для поглибленого вивчення цієї теми, так і практиками, зокрема законодавцями під час розробки нових нормативно-правових актів, пов'язаних з євроатлантичним процессом.

Ключові слова: війна, законодавство, міжнародне співробітництво, військово-політична сфера, територіальна цілісність.

Abstract

Since the beginning of Ukraine's independence, namely on 24 August 1991, there has been a lively debate among social and legal theorists and practitioners alike as to the advisability of Ukraine joining NATO. However, this issue became particularly relevant after February 24 2022, when the Russian Federation launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, and of course, it remains on the agenda until now, as it concerns guarantees of national security and independence of the state. Based on this, the purpose of the study is to identify current problems, challenges, and prospects related to the process of Ukraine's accession to NATO. To achieve this goal, the method of analysis and synthesis, comparison, deduction, and historical methods were used in the study. As a result, it was found that Ukraine's accession to NATO is a priority for its future development and security.

The paper managed to analyse the main Euro-Atlantic prospects for Ukraine, the most important of which at the moment is the protection of its territory by other member countries of the alliance. The analysed modern challenges allowed the authors to establish that in the conditions of the current Russian-Ukrainian war, the Ukrainian authorities implemented a number of measures aimed at developing the military-political industry, in particular, they abandoned the non-aligned position, approved the updated national security strategy of Ukraine, and most importantly approved the Euro-Atlantic direction of Ukraine's development in the Constitution of Ukraine. In conclusion, it was possible to reveal not only the priority of Ukraine's accession to NATO, but also to investigate the practical means and tools that are already being used to implement this process. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that its results can be used both by theorists for an in-depth investigation of this topic, and by practitioners, in particular by legislators, in the development of new laws and regulations related to the Euro-Atlantic process.

Keywords: war, legislation, international cooperation, military-political sphere, territorial integrity.

Introduction

At the moment, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the guarantor of security and independence for its member countries. This is explained by its purpose and specifics of its activities, since they consist in observing the security and protecting the territorial integrity of its participants. In the context of the war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the issue of the latter's accession to NATO is of particular importance. This is conditioned by a number of advantages, including the military, which Ukraine needs to win. This is what shows the urgent need to address this problem as soon as possible.

In addition, it is appropriate to note the problems of the topic of this study are characterised by their duration, since the discussion about Ukraine's accession to NATO has been going on for almost 31 years. Admittedly, this factor testifies to its importance for Ukrainian society, and even more so in the conditions of waging war on its territory [1]. In addition, this issue is not one-sided, that is, it does not concern only Ukraine, but also NATO member states. This is conditioned by the fact that not all of them support Ukraine's accession to this organisation, which also indicates that there are urgent problems that need to be solved for the successful implementation and completion of the Euro-Atlantic process.

Since Ukraine is still not a member of NATO, and the issue of its accession is causing more and more discussions and disputes, it can be argued that it is still not resolved, neither in the circles of scientists nor practitioners. At the same time, it is advisable to focus on some of the positions that were put forward by them and relate to the implementation of the Euro-Atlantic process for Ukraine. Thus, T. Meleshchenko, suggested that the prospect of joining NATO was lost by Ukraine in the period 1991-2000. Accordingly, the researcher concludes that at the moment this issue has lost its relevance and does not need to be resolved [2].

In addition, she claims that Ukraine's accession to NATO has a number of risks that concern both one and the other side. This study cannot agree with this statement, because the current dynamic processes in Ukraine caused by European integration only contribute to the implementation of the Euro-Atlantic vector of its development and have high prospects not only for Ukrainian society, but also for NATO member countries. Similarly, M.P. Trebin noted that NATO does not put forward its own initiatives and does not support Ukraine's accession to it at the proper level [3]. His research is based on the study of the main historical events that somehow influenced the course of the Euro-Atlantic process in Ukraine. However, the author believes that this position is not properly proven, since it does not disclose concrete evidence that would provide an opportunity to indicate the lack of feedback from NATO member countries regarding Ukraine. V. Biloshytskyi, on the contrary, claimed that it is joining NATO and the EU that is the only effective step for the successful further development of the state [4].

In addition, the researcher considered the conditions caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war, while analysing them and determining the likely consequences for society. And as a result, he comes to the conclusion that in the period of post-war reconstruction, it is the European standards and NATO security guarantees that will speed up this process and restore Ukraine's status in the international arena. Undoubtedly, the author agreed with him, as he considers such a position justified and promising for Ukrainian society. In addition, the author of this study considers it appropriate to support the conclusions obtained by V. Shypovskyi, since it reveals the algorithm of Ukraine's accession to NATO, while describing the main advantages and disadvantages of this process [5]. Accordingly, it was established that after the completion of the Euro-Atlantic process, Ukraine will be able to form high-quality tools and approaches for the implementation of national security and its independence. It is also worth paying attention to the results of A. Ordynovych, since he investigated the current Ukrainian laws and regulations that need to be finalised and amended [6]. In particular, he proposed to review some provisions of the law of Ukraine “On National Security” [7], and also formed proposals for the registration of new draft laws.

Thus, the main goal of the study was to establish the readiness of Ukraine to join NATO, in particular, to consider the main advantages and disadvantages of such a process from the standpoint of current socio-political conditions. For this purpose, the following tasks were performed: the goal of NATO and the prospects for Ukraine's accession to it were established; the level of Ukraine's readiness for this process was analysed; the main features and foundations of the Euro-Atlantic process were determined.

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the circumstances in which Ukrainian society is now, namely the war. Joining NATO today is considered by Ukrainian statesmen not only from the standpoint of the defence sector and security preferences, but also from the ideology of society. This is explained by the fact that the Russian-Ukrainian war finally stopped all relations between these countries, and clearly defined the areas of further development for Ukraine, which is conditioned by the European integration and Euro-Atlantic processes. The originality of this study lies in the fact that it considered not only the historical stages and basic principles of interaction between Ukraine and NATO, but also analysed their priority during the Russian-Ukrainian war. In addition, the author designed effective ways for Ukraine to join NATO in the shortest possible time, considering the current socio-political conditions.

Materials and Methods

Based on the method of analysis and synthesis, the main part of the paper was developed, in particular, its results were obtained. Thus, the study analysed such a category as NATO and established its purpose and role, including the essence of Ukraine's accession to it. In addition, the method of analysis allowed considering the main laws and regulations, both international and Ukrainian, concerning the sphere of international military cooperation, including with NATO. Among them are the North Atlantic Treaty of July 4, 1949 [8], the framework document of the NATO “Partnership for Peace” programme of February 8, 1994 [9], “Charter on special partnership between Ukraine and NATO” of July 9, 1997 [10], the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Challenges and Threats to the National Security of Ukraine in 2011” of 12/10/2010 [11], the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Measures to Improve the Efficiency of the Military-Industrial Complex of Ukraine” [12], draft law No. 9037 “On Amendments to the Constitution Regarding the Course of Ukraine to Join the EU and NATO” of November 22, 2018 [13], the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine” (on the strategic course of the state to acquire full membership of Ukraine in the European Union and in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) of February 7, 2019 [8], the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 307/2021 of June 4, 2021 “On Urgent Measures to Deepen Ukraine's Integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization” [14]. The synthesis was primarily used as the basis for investigating the problems and main challenges of the Euro-Atlantic process for Ukraine. In particular, on its basis, it was possible to form the main advantages of Ukraine's accession to NATO and to consider possible social changes that could arise if it was successfully implemented.

Using the comparison method, the current prospects were compared, and the risks that may arise for both NATO and Ukraine as a result of its accession to the alliance. In addition, this method was applied when establishing priority approaches and tools necessary for the successful implementation of the Euro-Atlantic process. In particular, they were compared with each other, and those that need to be implemented at the moment were also identified.

The method of deduction served as the basis for the formation of a logical structure and principles of research. This is revealed in the fact that the results obtained were described from general aspects to specific ones. Thus, at the beginning of the study, the general provisions and characteristics of NATO were established, and the level of readiness of Ukraine to join it was determined. Further, the deduction method was used to narrow down the provisions described above, in particular by studying the current conditions caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war and establishing their impact on the effectiveness of the Euro-Atlantic process for Ukraine.

Since the research topic involves the study of a long historical period, namely from 1991 to the present day, the use of the historical research method was a mandatory methodological tool. In addition, it was necessary to analyse specific historical events that clearly affected the entire Euro-Atlantic process of Ukraine, one of which is the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, which led to its suspension.

The study was implemented in three stages. At the first stage, the main organisational provisions were established, which include the development of goals, objectives, and a work plan. In addition, the basic principles on which NATO's work is based and the nature and effectiveness of its cooperation with Ukraine were established. At the second stage, the current prospects and main risks for Ukraine from the Euro-Atlantic process were determined. The role of Ukraine's accession to NATO in the Russian-Ukrainian war was also established. It was possible to conduct a discussion based on a comparison of the positions, opinions, and statements of researchers from various fields of science regarding the success and need for Ukraine to implement the Euro-Atlantic process. At the third stage, the results were summarised, in particular, conclusions were formed, which were based on the results obtained by the author both in the course of independent research of the topic and discussion.

Results

First of all, the essence of NATO and its main features were established in order to determine its interaction with Ukraine. NATO - is an international intergovernmental organisation that forms a full-fledged military-political alliance, which includes 30 states of North America and Europe. Their unity is revealed in the observance of the main goal, namely, ensuring the provisions stipulated by the North Atlantic Treaty [8], which was signed on April 4, 1949, in Washington. In addition, focusing on the current conditions in which states are developing, it was proved that the goals and mission of the organisation are expanding. This is mainly conditioned by the appearance of new challenges for states, in particular, in the context of security. That is why NATO's activities are currently focused on combating weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and countries with illegitimate regimes in which there may be a desire to use such weapons or transfer them to terrorists [15]. Thus, describing them, it was noted that the purpose of NATO is to prevent military conflicts, and protect the territorial integrity and independence of the organisation's member states. At the same time, the peculiarity of NATO is that it does not have its own armed forces or separate military formations, respectively, it has at its disposal the armed forces of its member countries. According to the author, this property is one of the main advantages of Ukraine's accession to NATO, in order to form high-quality security of its territories and independence.

Turning to a specific analysis of Ukraine's international cooperation with NATO, attention was drawn to the fact that it is quite long, since it was started immediately after the declaration of independence [1]. Accordingly, to establish the current prospects and problems of Ukraine's accession to the above-mentioned organisation, the historical experience of their interaction was investigated. In this context, attention was paid to the end of the 20^th century, namely, on February 8, 1994, when Ukraine signed the framework document of the NATO “Partnership for Peace” programme [9]. This event was the beginning of the process of forming international cooperation between these two entities. These relations were somewhat specified and became a formality on July 9, 1997, since during the NATO summit in Madrid, the leaders of NATO member countries on the one hand, and the then President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, concluded and signed the “Charter on a special partnership between Ukraine and NATO“ [10].

These events concerned not only the jurisdictional aspects of NATO's interaction with Ukraine, but also practical ones. This is explained by the fact that on the basis of the provisions of the framework document of the NATO “Partnership for Peace” programme [9] and the “Charter on special partnership between Ukraine and NATO” [10], more than 600 joint events were implemented during 1994-1999. In addition, various courses were organised, in particular, military training from NATO representatives, which were mastered by more than 6,000 Ukrainian specialists [17].

Thus, it was noted that already at that time relations between NATO and Ukraine began to strengthen qualitatively, which led to the formation of prerequisites for the future entry of the second into the organisation. However, a special role in this process was played by the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, which lasted from 2010 to 2014. This is explained by the fact that during the exercise of his power, all the long-term work that concerned the rapprochement of relations between NATO and Ukraine has effectively been destroyed. The implementation of pro-Russian plans and propaganda on the territory of Ukraine provoked contradictions between both the positions of statesmen and civilians regarding the prospects of the Euro-Atlantic process. That is why it was not possible to implement priority legislative initiatives related to the harmonisation of Ukrainian legislation in the context of strengthening bilateral relations between Ukraine and NATO. This statement can be confirmed by such regulations as the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Challenges and Threats to the National Security of Ukraine in 2011” of 12/10/2010 [11], the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Measures to Improve the Efficiency of the Military-Industrial Complex of Ukraine” [12], which primarily played an important role in the development of the defence sector of Ukraine.

However, despite such policies on the part of the Ukrainian NATO statesmen, there was support for Ukraine, in particular for its contribution to peace and security measures. This is confirmed by the fact that as a result of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, representatives of the member states expressed support for the independence and state sovereignty of Ukraine. In addition, they condemned Russia's actions and found them arbitrarily violating the norms of international law. This happened on March 2, 2014, as part of an emergency meeting of the NATO - Ukraine Commission, which was held in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter on special partnership between Ukraine and NATO [10]. The result of this event was a decision to completely terminate military-technical cooperation with Russia as an aggressor country and to abandon the non-aligned status [18].

Focusing on the legislative changes in Ukraine, the author noted that there were no effective changes. It is precisely because of this that conflicts and inconsistencies were formed between Ukrainian and foreign approaches to solving specific political issues. However, in this context, it was noted that Ukraine currently belongs to a number of states that are primarily partners of NATO with an expanded scope of capabilities. To achieve this title, on November 22, 2018, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted draft law No. 9037 “On Amendments to the Constitution Regarding the Course of Ukraine to Join the EU and NATO” [13], the essence of which was revealed in the introduction of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, namely joining the North Atlantic alliance and the European Union. The result was the adoption on February 7, 2019, by the votes of 334 people's deputies of Ukraine of the Law “On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine” (on the strategic course of the state to acquire full membership of Ukraine in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) [8]. Such changes certainly had a positive impact on both the positions of the Ukrainian authorities and civilians regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO. At the same time, the regulation indicates the support and legalisation of the civilised, political, military, and economic status and choice of the people of Ukraine.

Moreover, the activities of the legislative branch of the government of Ukraine in the context of the implementation of the Euro-Atlantic process did not end there. For example, the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 307/2021 of June 4, 2021, “On Urgent Measures to Deepen Ukraine's Integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization” [14], the content of which is that acquiring NATO membership is a priority state task for Ukraine. In addition, it states that in order to increase the chances of successful completion of the Euro-Atlantic process by Ukraine, it is necessary to ensure real progress in all sectors ofpublic life, for example, to introduce the principle of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in all sectors of public policy implementation. Thus, it can be argued that due to such regulations, the tasks set for Ukraine within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic process are implemented, characterised by the reform of the basic principles of organising and managing public relations [19].

After analysing the current situation, it is worth noting that it is difficult from the standpoint of Ukraine's accession to NATO. This is conditioned by the fact that active military operations are being conducted on the territory of Ukraine, which contradicts the ideas and principles of the organisation's member states. However, it should be understood that this statement is subjective, since none of the fundamental documents of NATO establishes such a provision. In particular, the priority is the direction chosen by Sweden and Finland, which is based on joining NATO without forming an action plan for NATO membership. In addition, analysing the subjective factors of this process, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that NATO representatives still support the Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine, which was determined in 2008 at the Bucharest Summit. At the same time, they note that the continuation of consideration of the issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO is possible only in the event of the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war [20].

Thus, after the analysis, the conditions that Ukraine needs to fulfil in order to join NATO were described. According to the provisions of Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty [8], NATO adheres to the “open door policy” in its activities. Accordingly, with the consent of all members of the organisation, any European country can join NATO. Thus, the first stage is the implementation of the “accelerated dialogue” that Ukraine is currently in. In addition, the result of this step is that the country receives an action plan for NATO membership. However, as noted above, Ukraine seeks to avoid this in order to speed up the completion of the Euro-Atlantic process. Despite this, the question arises about the qualitative implementation of a number of reforms of various types, in particular, of a political and economic nature, military nature, and to ensure the introduction of “pre-step” reforms, to redistribute the budget and allocate a separate item to finance NATO, to confirm their readiness to adhere to the NATO Information Management Policy.

All this testifies to the broad policy of NATO, which, despite its status as a military bloc, obliges its member states and candidates to resolve disputes peacefully, through diplomatic means, and try to maintain friendly relations with all countries [21]. Admittedly, the above-mentioned reforms would improve all the most important areas of public life organisation, from democratic to military. This property shows the ability of NATO to respond in time to modern challenges and to protect its members. Therefore, it can be argued that as a result of Ukraine's successful implementation of all reforms, the economy, state policy, armed forces, and legal system will be unified with the approaches of NATO member countries.

As a result, it was established that Ukraine's accession to NATO is absolutely real. This is evidenced by the successful experience of former Soviet countries, such as Latvia and Lithuania, which managed to implement political, economic, and military reforms at the appropriate level and gain membership in the organisation. In addition, the successful completion of the Euro-Atlantic process will have extremely positive consequences for Ukraine. First of all, the advantage of NATO is its status, namely the military-political bloc, which indicates the possibility of providing it with high-quality security guarantees. The next advantage of joining NATO is that this organisation does not express a purely military character, but also contains political and legal foundations. Based on this, If Ukraine receives the status of a NATO member, it will receive not only security guarantees but also the opportunity to improve its own armed forces, establish civilian control over the armed forces and intelligence services, which would also increase the level of compliance with the rule of law in the state. Another advantage is the opportunity to improve the investment climate in Ukraine, which will have a positive impact on the state economy [22]. Thus, the above indicates that Ukraine has been building relations with NATO for quite a long period, which is characterised by bilateral actions. However, the fact that Ukraine does not have the status of a NATO member state indicates the need to improve and accelerate the Euro-Atlantic process, which, as proved in the study, has a number of advantages and is a promising direction for the future development of Ukraine.

Discussion

O. Semeniy investigated the issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO, in particular, he revealed this issue from the standpoint of the lack of such a need and prospects for Ukrainian society [23]. He emphasized especially in his work that the duration of relations between NATO and Ukraine is quite long, but not effective. Based on this, he believes that representatives of neither side have put forward enough initiatives that could have a positive impact on their interaction. In addition, he claims that NATO member countries are strongly opposed to Ukraine's accession to this organisation. The main drawback, in his opinion, is the Russian-Ukrainian war, which was started back in 2014. Accordingly, he asserted that the military operations on the territory of the state cannot guarantee security for other NATO member countries, and also do not allow Ukrainian statesmen to implement the necessary reforms and legislative changes. The author of this study argues that this position is not sufficiently justified, moreover, it contains provisions that do not correspond to reality, in particular, regarding the lack of initiative to join NATO, especially on the part of Ukraine. The author believes that at the moment, the relations between the above-mentioned parties are at the highest level for the entire period of independent Ukraine. This indicates the readiness to introduce changes in relations and positions both in Ukraine and NATO.

The opposite position was put forward by D. Kunertova, since she justified the fact that Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU is a priority area that will solve all existing problems in public administration and in the social sector [24]. She claims that despite the active international policy and fairly effective cooperation of Ukraine with other states, the real result can be obtained only with membership in leading international institutions. In her paper, she explains this from the standpoint of forming bilateral obligations, for example, in NATO it is the provision of military protection and assistance by its members to each other. The researcher believes that the implementation of both European integration and Euro-Atlantic processes is the vector of development of the state, in particular Ukraine, which will affect all spheres of life, and satisfy both private and public interests of citizens. The author fully agrees with this opinion, moreover, emphasises that Ukraine's accession to NATO will prevent the emergence of other military conflicts on its territory.

Attention should also be paid to the statement of L. Alexiyeves, which establishes the main advantages of Ukraine's acquisition of NATO membership [25]. Among them, the following were highlighted: obtaining guarantees by the state concerning its national security, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; forming the prerequisites necessary for integration into Europe, namely into its political and economic systems; raising the status of the state in the international arena and market. In addition, she was able to identify the advantages that will be useful directly for Ukrainians, in particular: strengthening the consolidation of the Ukrainian nation, especially abroad; increasing the level of transparency of state power, which would help prevent the emergence of corruption; real provision of citizens' rights and freedoms, and effective tools for their protection; improving social living conditions, increasing wages, providing educational and medical services, insurance. The researcher suggests that these conditions really correspond to reality and reveal to a certain extent the goals of the Euro-Atlantic process for Ukraine. In addition, he notes that a number of such prospects are not exhaustive, which indicates the urgency and high need for Ukraine's accession to NATO and, accordingly, the EU.

This issue was also considered by I. Pankevych, however, it was analysed based on the positions of Ukrainian society regarding European integration and Euro-Atlantic processes [26]. He was concluded that the geopolitical mood of Ukrainians is debatable, as it has disagreements. At the same time, he notes that in recent years, the attraction to support and implement the European and Euro-Atlantic orientation has significantly dominated the public masses. In addition, he considered the peculiarities of the geopolitical choice of Ukrainian society, which is mostly formed under the significant influence of foreign policy factors. The most significant of which at the moment is the war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. At the same time, citizens support European values and see joining the EU and NATO as a priority for Ukraine. The author believes that the considered conclusions clearly describe the attitude of the people to current events and changes in society, while he suggests that if the implementation of public work continues, there will be a successful mobilisation of social support. As a result, this would allow executing all the tasks set for Ukraine and successfully implementing its accession to the EU and NATO.

In addition, the position of N. Pipchenko is also notable, which is based on modelling the likely outcomes and predictions regarding the outbreak of a Russian-Ukrainian war, assuming Ukraine's membership in NATO [27]. The researcher found that if Ukraine were part of NATO, its territory would not be a springboard for military operations.

Moreover, she notes that if any military initiatives were formed regarding the Ukrainian territories, these issues would be resolved in an alternative, that is, not by military means. At the same time, the researcher believes that this position is somewhat contradictory, since it excludes the idea that if Ukraine had directly joined NATO, the military conflict would have been deployed by this, which does not exclude a nuclear threat to the world.

J. Bakotin, sharply criticises NATO representatives in his research [28]. In particular, he claims that in the conditions of the active phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which was launched on February 24, 2022, they did not make efforts to ensure peace and humanitarian assistance. At the same time, he noted that it was this factor that affected the confidence of Ukrainian society in the entire military-political organisation. The author suggests that such statements should be sufficiently justified so that they do not take the form of slander. At the same time, he notes that since the beginning of the War, NATO has been actively working against the Russian Federation, and in support of Ukrainian citizens, in particular refugees.

Considering the above, the author believes that the investigation of the process of Ukraine's accession to NATO should continue to take place, taking into account all external factors. These include not only the position of Ukrainian representatives, but also foreign ones, in particular NATO member states. In addition, the author noted that at the moment the number of advantages outweighs the disadvantages, which was proved in this study. At the same time, this factor indicates that the Euro-Atlantic process is attracted by the support of not only Ukrainian statesmen, but also the civilian population, and therefore is able to satisfy both public and private interests. The author believes that joining NATO and the EU would completely modify outdated approaches and principles to public administration in Ukraine, which will certainly have a positive impact on the socio-political status of the state in the future.

nato alliance euro-atlantic ukraine

Conclusions

As a result of the research, the study came to the conclusion that joining NATO is a necessary step for Ukraine on the path of its economic, social, and political development. This position is quite reasonable, since it is formed on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the relations that were built between these two parties. Accordingly, the paper found that in fact, cooperation in the context of international cooperation between NATO and Ukraine began immediately after the latter gained independence.

In addition, the study carried out a theoretical analysis of NATO; in particular, its essence and purpose were determined. The author suggests that its form, namely the military-political bloc, is quite effective today. At the same time, it is noted that NATO membership for Ukraine will have a positive impact not only on the defence industry, but also on other important public spheres of life. This statement is explained by the fact that joining NATO involves the introduction of a number of reforms that are political, economic, and military in nature. In addition, studying the stages and conditions for the successful completion of the Euro-Atlantic process, the author notes the need to implement budget redistribution in Ukraine, in order to allocate a special sector in it intended to finance NATO. Moreover, the priority tasks for Ukraine today are the development and implementation of institutions that will be able to confirm the state's readiness to implement the NATO Information Management Policy.

In the course of an independent analysis of the topic and the discussion, the study determined the main advantages of joining NATO for Ukraine, both for the state and directly for citizens. Among them, the possibility of forming high-quality security guarantees, the ability to increase the level of professional training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, improve the investment climate in Ukraine; the establishment of appropriate prerequisites necessary for Ukraine's integration into European society, namely, into its political and economic systems. In addition, the paper proved that the successful implementation of the Euro-Atlantic process will strengthen the consolidation of the Ukrainian nation, increase transparency in public administration, and improve the social living conditions of Ukrainians. Thus, joining NATO, especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, is still relevant, and most importantly, a priority issue for the further development of Ukraine. That is why, in subsequent studies, attention should be paid to modelling effective ways necessary for the accelerated completion of the Euro-Atlantic process, as a result of which Ukraine should join a number of NATO member states.

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