US Policy Towards Ukraine in Conditions of the New World Order

Abstract

The US policy towards Ukraine in the post-bipolar period is considered. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize Ukraine as a new subject of international law. It is proved that in the first years of Ukraine’s independence in the American expert circles the idea of its great international importance as a strategic partner was established. The United States paid great attention to the Ukrainian nuclear issue and helped to shape Ukraine’s nuclear-free status, while guaranteeing territorial integrity and security under the Budapest Treaty Memorandum of 1994, along with the Russian Federation. The United States has consistently provided support for Ukrainian democracy, reform, market transformation and national security. The US views Ukraine as an outpost to strengthen its geopolitical influence in the post-Soviet space and in Eastern Europe, as well as a unique alternative to Russian imperial policy. The United States maintained its support for Ukraine during the difficult times of its historical development, marked by a decline in democracy and an increase in authoritarianism. An important step on the part of the United States was the adoption by the Senate of a bill on the Declaration of Freedom in Ukraine of December 11, 2014, which declared full support for the Ukrainian state. Another important gesture from the US was the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions after annexation of the Crimea by Russia and the deployment of hybrid aggression in the Donbass. Since then, the United States has been providing $ 300 million in annual financial assistance to Ukraine, providing defense weapons and training to the Ukrainian military. Recently, the US has been contributing to improving Ukraine’s energy security by supporting the diversification of natural gas and nuclear fuel supplies. The prospect of further strengthening of Ukraine’s energy security should be the expansion of the network of LNG terminals in Eastern Europe. Thanks to the imposed sanctions, the US managed to suspend the construction of the Russian gas pipeline “North Stream-2”, which is aimed at undermining Ukraine’s energy transit status. However, the negative sides of Ukraine-US relations should include pressure on Ukraine by the US to prevent China’s partial privatization of the Motor Sich plant and Ukraine’s involvement in US Presidential election scandal.