Reforming the Armed Forces in the сontext of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic Integration: Interaction of International and National Law

Abstract

Sources of legal regulation of the reform of the national armed forces in Ukraine are explored in the article. The interaction of international and national law in this area is characterized. The reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a long process and has been going on for more than twenty years. The reform is conditioned by the need to create a combat-ready armed forces that will perform the tasks of Ukraine's defense. A feature of reforming this area is the implementation of the provisions of the standards of such an international organization as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This determines the interaction of national and international law. The Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Ukraine and the other international treaties between NATO and Ukraine are international legal sources regulating the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Laws of Ukraine «On the Armed Forces of Ukraine», «On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Military Standards», the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine, the Military Doctrine of Ukraine and other regulations are domestic sources of legal regulation of defense sector reform. Based on the analysis of these documents, the author claims that one of the important directions in the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is the implementation of NATO standards. The provisions of NATO standards are not directly applicable and are subject to implementation in Ukrainian law. Ukraine is not a member of multilateral agreements within NATO, but bilateral agreements with the Alliance regulate cooperation in the implementation of NATO Standards in Ukraine. The practice of implementing NATO legal provisions helps to avoid legal conflicts in the regulation of the defense sphere, which may arise due to the regulation by international acts of army reform.