The Vector of Political Relations between Russia, Ukraine and European Union: What Reasons Led to The Crimean Issue?

Abstract

The current Ukrainian crisis and the “Crimean issue” are both the result of domestic political struggle and regional alienation, and the product of external forces competing for their geopolitical advantages. There are complex historical roots as well as tough practical interests. Internal and external factors interact and cause conflict. The harm of the political crisis in Ukraine and the impact of this crisis on the international community is more than the effect of the “Orange Revolution” that occurred more than ten years ago. This crisis not only worsened the Ukrainian economy, but also undermined the country's international reputation. The dispute about the ownership of the Crimea further aggravated the crisis. In order to stabilize the situation in Ukraine, all parties must remain calm and restrained and seek a political solution through dialogue and negotiations within the framework of the rule of law. The goal of the study is to determine the vector of relations between Russia, Ukraine and Europe during the crisis and to present a probable explanation of decision making process within Russia’s actions, which led to the accession of the Crimea. The principal results that achieved in this paper is that the accession of Crimea to Russian Federation, in fact is the reaction to the European integration processes that out of its sphere of influence. Therefore, it was imposed sanctions on Russia by G7 and other states, so it should be engaged some other steps further to settle this dispute and find solutions to restore relations between European countries and Russia.