Mieliekiestsev K. Ukraine and the Republic of Poland: from bilateral relations to Euro-Atlantic interration (historical aspect)

Object of study: multifaceted cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland in the conditions of globalization of the modern world. Purpose of the research: a comprehensive historical study of the complex interactions between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland, identifying the patterns, achievements and prospects of partnership in the context of its transformation from bilateral relations to multilateral cooperation on the path of integration into the EU and NATO. Methods: systematical, institutional, dialectical, analysis and synthesis, statistical, problem-chronological, comparative-historical, historical-typological, specific-historical, along with J. Rosenau’s principles on international relations theory. Novelty: the influence of J. Giedroyc’s concepts and activities on the formation of the pro-Ukrainian position of Polish politicians and their relations with the leadership of Ukraine was identified. The author presented an insight into the transformation of Ukrainian-Polish relations from ordinary bilateral interaction into a special partnership in the system of multilateral cooperation within the framework of European and Atlantic integration. The research’s result cast doubt on the correctness of previous assessments in national historiography regarding the period of the mid-1990s as the time of “stagnation” in the Ukrainian-Polish relations. The significance of previously classified documents such as “The Theses on Polish Policy on Russia and Ukraine” of 2008, as well as that of the archival materials on the activities of local authorities regarding the matters of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in 1991–2015 (first added to scientific circulation) was analyzed. The impact of multifaceted Ukrainian-Polish cooperation on Ukraine’s successful implementation of reforms according to the Ukraine – EU Action Plan was examined. A chronology of the contemporary Ukrainian-Polish relations on the principle of the level of their involvement in the issues of European integration was developed. Practical importance: the results of the dissertation can serve as a basis for further scientific development, for educational literature on the history of Ukraine, and on international relations, for the development of foreign policy strategies by governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations connected to the issues of Ukrainian-Polish partnership. Field of using: educational process, diplomacy.