Brest-Lithuania peace of 1918 and Ukrainian-German relations

Abstract

This article analyzes the international relations of Ukraine during the national liberation struggle of 1917-1918. The prerequisites for the intensification of Ukrainian-German contacts at the end of the First World War are studied. The peculiarities of contacts between Germany and Ukrainian governments are analyzed, the significant influence of German policy in the context of the formation and development of Ukrainian state-building processes is indicated. The participation of the Ukrainian delegation at the Brest-Litovsk negotiations and the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Central Powers are characterized. The methodology is based on the principle of historicism and scientificity. The method of comparative analysis, retrospective, historical-typological, was used. Scientific novely. The article examines the economic and political components in the system of Ukrainian-German bilateral relations, which significantly influenced the structure of the foreign policy course of the official UNR and Germany, and also became the basis for the conclusion of international agreements. The active work of Ukrainian diplomacy and trade and economic missions abroad was studied, which was aimed at ensuring the development of the Ukrainian economy and the needs of the war for independencе. Conclusions. It has been proven that the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, which certified the international recognition of the state of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, can be called a significant result of the formation of interstate Ukrainian-German relations. It is shown that Ukrainian-German relations influenced further interstate military-political and diplomatic relations. The most important achievement of Ukraine at that time was the preservation of state independence, which made it possible to continue national liberation struggles in the future. In general, conducting such a study is appropriate not only in the context of the history of Germany and Ukraine, but also in the context of world history, since the evolution of Ukrainian-German relations during this period largely depended on the development of events in the international arena.