“I’ll be back!”: The Ukrainian Way to Europe

Abstract

Ukraine’s European integration aspirations have old historical ties with European civilization, which were interrupted by three centuries of being part of the Eurasian Empire. As a result, the Ukrainian national mentality contains features of both Eurasianism and Europeanism (and the latter were always perceived by the Eurasian empire as something alien). Russian aggression against Ukraine and against the entire West (primarily the EU) makes Ukraine’s accession to the EU a priority for both sides. In this regard, the EU is even ready to change the procedure for admitting new members. At the same time, in order to successfully integrate into the EU, Ukraine must not only fulfill the relevant technical requirements, but also rid its society of the remnants of Eurasianism. And the easiest way to do this is within the EU and with the support of other member states, since both sides need it. Today, when security and defense issues are beginning to play a more important role than the economy, Ukraine’s accession to the EU becomes especially relevant.