Week 7 Lecture -US and Ukraine Lecture

Ukrainian borders post WW1 till 1950s

• Ukraine’s borders have never been clearly fixed with this map showing how the borders have shifted up until 1954

• 1922 is when the first Ukrainian coniston was adopted and at that part Ukraine was absorbed into the Soviet Union

• Up until 1950s decade its borders shift due to outcome of WW2 and gains some territory in the west but also loses territory

  • Ukraine is not independent at this time so its land is absorbed into the soviet state

• The land colored purple is the Crimea and it had been part of the Russian Union but was gifted to Ukraine as it didn’t make much difference at the time as both o f them were part of the Soviet Union at the time

Ukraine after the collapse of Soviet Union

• However when Soviet Union ends in 1991, 15 part become independent including Ukraine, with Ukraine including Crimea which Ukraine assumes as part of its territory in 1991

  • This is despite overwhelming population being Russian in Crimea

• Was the biggest country outside of Russia in geographical size and its historical toing and throwing and geographical location lead it to call it being called the keystone to European future

Linguistic Makeup of Ukraine

• This gives you a sense of its linguistic makeup because a lot of people in Ukraine are bilingual and being equally confident in Ukrainian and Russian 

• Frts language- Red is Russian and blue is ukrainian- can see prevalence of Russian in Ukraine

• Northern part of Ukraine claimed as part of Russia due in part due to linguistic speaking

Economic Importance of Ukraine

• Ukraine is holding rare earths which is important for rare earths but also has large amounts of coal reserves

• Also agriculture- Ukraine is largest producer of grain in Europe and one of the largest in the world

Ukraine: modern history (1917-1938)

• 1917-1921: Ukrainian war of independence

  • Short lived period of independence 

• 1922: formation of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the USSR/Soviet Union

• The Holodomor or terror famine (1932-1933)

  • Hugely important historical events

  • Ukraine was subject to terror famine with imposition of Stalin of collectivisation of agriculture with deliberate policy of starvation to pacify Ukrainian population

    • Led to millions of death due to forced requisition of food

• The great terror (1936 – 1938)

  • Suffered more than most due to Communist terror

Ukraine: modern history (WW2- Occupation)

German/Nazi occupation (1941-1943)

• The single most important of Putin mindset is the liberation of Soviet Union against Nazi army which led Putin fighting Nazis off from Leningrad all the way to Ukraine and Poland leading 20 million deaths

• Lots of it was fought in Ukraine of near Ukraine, like Kurst (largest tank battle in all of history where soviet Union defeated Nazis) 

• Ukraine was then absorbed back but key grievance for Stalin Ukraine some people collaborated with Nazis due to hopes for ukrainian independence under Nazi oversight as well as Nazi being no worse than Soviet army 

  • Putin in part uses this to justify he is de-natizyfing Ukraine with this legacy of Nazi with this sense of grievance due to construction of history form this mindset despite Zelensky being Jewish

Ukraine: modern history (1945-1954)

• 1945:Ukraine becomes a founding member of the United Nations even though part of the Soviet Union 

  • Allowed Soviet Union to have two votes, at Stalin’s insistence and way or Stalin arguing that Ukraine had separate policies (even though it didn’t)

  • Was Stalin requirement when UN was forming

  • Meant hat when Ukraine got its independence in the UN, they didn’t have to reapply for UN membership

  • Ukraine also had the benefit of having some pre-owned embassies as well

• 1954: Crimea oblast transferred from Russia to Ukraine (both then constituent parts of the Soviet Union) 

Ukraine: Modern History (1990s)

• July 1990: Declaration of State Sovereignty 

  • Ukraine is leading force for end of Soviet Union 

• August 1991: Ukraine declares independence

• December 1991: Ukraine is a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) along with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

• December 1991: the Soviet Union is dissolved and Ukraine achieves statehood 

Ukrainian Leaders post-1991

• Succession of Ukrainian leaders on the bottom and fewer leaders in Russia

• During this period of time the relations have never been easy with Russia trying always to bring Ukraine back into Russian sphere of influence in different ways with some being Kremlin friendly 

• Victor Yuchensko was subject to an attack by Russian secret service with them trying to kill him

Post-Soviet Ukraine’s external orientation

• In the post-Soviet space

• Neutrality

  • Didn’t have a straightforward relations that it would end up seeking EU membership and being close to US

• A deteriorating relationship with Russia

• Ties to the European Union

• Ties to NATO

• Relations with the United States

Ukraine’s external orientation (1) the post-Soviet space

Originally its geo-politcial was very local due to being part of Soviet Union for so long- was instant beneficiary of army and weapons but felt necessities of cooperating with other formers Soviet Union states

• December 1991: the Ukrainian parliament ratifies membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) subject to reservations (1.)

• Ukraine remains on the side-lines of post-Soviet economic integration (it does not join the Eurasian Economic Union formed in 2014) 

• Ukraine stays outside/opted out the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) formed in 2002

Trying to move away from Russian oversight

Ukraine’s external orientation (2) Neutrality

• For a long time it was neutral which was effectively written into law committing itself to neutrality 

• July 1990: Declaration of State Sovereignty 

  • “intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs and adheres to three nuclear free principles…”

• 1994 ‘Budapest Memorandum’(1.)

  • Ukraine receives ‘security assurances’ from Russia, the UK and the USA in return for the removal of nuclear weapons from its territory

• 1996 constitution: 

  • ‘The location of foreign military bases shall not be permitted on the territory of Ukraine’

    • Prohibits foreign military bases 

• 2010: law on non-bloc status

  • The Ukrainian parliament with the support of its pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovich, passes a law reaffirming the country’s non-bloc status (this rules out NATO membership). Majority Ukrainian public opinion backs this position 

    • Outlined Ukraine joining any military alliances which was very supported publicly

    • Majority of public opinion in 90s and 2000s was in favor of neutrality and not aligned

External external orientation (3) A deteriorating relationship with Russia

Shift with deteriorating relations with Russia and so they looked to the West and get closer to US, West and EU. Problem with Russia reaches certain climaxes at certain points 

• The Orange Revolution (2004/5) 

  • Events in Ukraine that targeted against Russia

  • Target Ukrainian leadership that was seen as Pro-Russia and led to leader resigning and in 2014 them fleeing the country 

• Maidan Revolution (February 2014)

  • Same as above

• Russian annexation of Crimea (Feb – March 2014) 

  • Russian parliament passed constitution amendment and legislation absorbing Crimea into Russian federation adn Crimea has been occupied ever since

• War in the Donbas (eastern Ukraine) 2014-2022

  • When people refer to invasion of 2022, Ukraine are quick to correct that the war has been going on much longer with Russia and Ukraine at war since 2014

• Russian invasion (February 2022)

  • Full-scale invasion

External orientation (4): the EU

• Ukraine joins the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership.

• EU Association Agreement (initialled March 2012, comes into effect after the Maidan Revolution of February 2014)

• Feb 2019 amendment to the Ukrainian constitution to include an aspiration to membership of the EU 

  • Amended as it would have contrasted with neutrality 

• Four days after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine submits a formal application for EU membership

External orientation (5): NATO

Ukraine undertakes similar steps with NATO, even Russia was looking to join NATO. By 2016 Ukraine has a privileged status with NATO- it is not a member but has intimate relations with military assistance which NATO did not provide until 2022, NATO provided training for outside-e NATO countries

• 1991: Ukraine joins NACC

• 1994: Ukraine joins PfP

• 1997: NATO-Ukraine Charter

• 2008: Bucharest summit declaration

• 2014: law on non-bloc status repealed

• 2016: first Comprehensive Assistance Package

• 2019: amendment to the Ukrainian constitution

• 2020: Enhanced Opportunities Partner 

• 2021: ‘Rapid Trident’ and ‘Sea Breeze’ joint exercises 

External orientation (6) - bilateral security arrangements (USA)

• US military assistance to Ukraine goes back to the early 1990s

• It was increased after 2014: “to help Ukraine preserve its territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO.”(1.)

• In 2018, the USA became the first NATO nation to supply Ukraine with ‘lethal’ weaponry

  • Trump And Biden administration took further step and go beyond training to include arms and equipment

• August 2021: US-Ukraine Strategic Defence Framework

• November 2021: US-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership

US foreign policy and Ukraine

Ukraine moving westward due to troubled relations with Russia

• The dissolution of the Soviet Union

• Post-Soviet nuclear disarmament

• NATO enlargement

• The 2014 Crimea crisis and the Donbas war

• The first Trump administration (2017-21)

• Prelude to war

• The Russia-Ukraine war (2022-2024)

• The United States and Ukraine (2022-2024): controversies

• The second Trump administration 

The dissolution of the Soviet Union

“freedom is not the same as independence. Americans will not support those who seek independence in order to replace a far-off tyranny with a local despotism. They will not aid those who promote a suicidal nationalism based upon ethnic hatred.’

• Bush went off to Kyiv in 1991 and gave what was known as the chicken kiev or rubber chicken speech where he tried to dissuade Ukraine for seeking independence 

• Argue that nationalism that pulled Soviet Union apart were dangerous

Post-Soviet Nuclear Disarmament

The US played successful policy when it can to disarmament

• Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty (1987)

• Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty (1990)

• Cooperative Threat Reduction Programme (1991)

• Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) (1991)

  • Saw big cut in strategic weapons

• Presidential nuclear initiatives (1991/92)

  • Presidential nuclear initiatives were with tactical nuclear weapons

Issue of Ukraine in post-Soviet Union Nuclear Disarmament

• Issue is that when Soviet Union came to an end the missiles weren’t all in Russia with a lot in Ukraine including ICBMs

• Worries of a loose nukes problem

  • Problem of it not being under proper control and could be stolen or the sites were not properly looked after with radioactive leakage as when SU collapsed the chain of the soviet red army also did

• Under Bush administration US supported the Nunn-Lugar Programme- a programme of assistance for former SU to help denuclearize

• Helped and fund denuclearized parts of former Soviet Union, except for Russia to help either destroy or in most cases transport it back to Russia

Lisbon Protocol (1992)

• START treaty was difficult to implement as it was based on 1 arsenal but suddenly there was 4 so it had to ben amended which was seen in Lisbon

• Signing them up to START treaty

Budapest Memorandum (1994)

Clinton, Kumchma (Ukrainian President) and UK PM John Major sign an agreement whereby Ukrainians agree to disarm

Central Issue of the Budapest Memorandum (1994) today

• The central thing which is a live issue today is Clause 4 where the parties to Budachrest memorandum, Russia, UK and US and Ukraine then undertook commitment as part of a signatory

• UK and US permanent member of uNSC and nuclear powers

• Ukraine by giving up by Nuclear weapons it would by article e4 it would have assurance and the reassurance that if it was a subject of aggression happened it would have the support of these members in the Security Council and by signing up to this it shows Russia would not attack them but help with their security  

  • However when they were attacked later Ukraine weren’t able to do anything and UK and US said there was no security guarantee there and Russia ignored it

    • Bond with Russia that they never had a sense of security with the West

Mearsheimer, 1993, ‘The Case for a Ukrainian Nuclear Deterrent’- Should Ukraine should have not idarmed

• Mearsheimer was one of the people who argued that Ukraine should have never given up their nuclear missiles as it could have acted as a missile

• However despite his argument we won’t know what the right answer was

  • Would Ukraine have even used it if they could have been obliterated with the MAD argument

• From US POV it was generally seen as a success as Ukraine disarmament was complete by 2002 

  • This was done with russian cooperation and Russia was also a beneficiary of this fund

• Ukraine as a cooperative party with US and a bit of debate whether they should have given weapons but did so at the time

NATO Enlargement

• Is most important and divisive issue when we look at Ukraine and the event in the second half of the US foreign policy and Ukraine slide are essentially to do with how US responds to the danger Ukraine is put under by Russian invasion

• NATO has doubled in size to 32 from 16 in the post-CW period and is going in one direction to Russia

  • Ukraine has not joined and is a close member but is not a member

• Controversy is quite detailed and a lot has been written about it but essentially the Russian claim is that when the CW was widening down the Americans suggested that NATO would not enlarge beyond a unified Germany 

• Russians claim that JAmes Baker (then secretary of state) gave assurance oto Soviet Foreign minister that there would be no further expansion eastwards

NATO Partnerships

• November 1991: North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) 

• January 1994: Partnership for Peace (PfP)

  • - Ukraine (February 1994)

  • - Russia (June 1994) 

• NATO-Russia Founding Act & NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (May 1997) 

• NATO-Ukraine Charter on Distinctive Partnership & NATO-Ukraine Commission (July 1997)

Bucharest Summit Declaration (2008) (1)

• Ukraine is different to other former SU states as Ukraine was part of the former Russian empire and so different mentality exists and is a complete redline for Russian in NATO joining

• Is a NATO summit in Georgia capital 

  • Bush a big fan of people joining NATO with War on Terror and big tent approach

  • Bush tries to get final plan to adopt a membership action plan which is the first step towards membership (usually end up getting NATO) but unfortunately and rarely US did not get this war as France and Germany is adamant against it with NATO relying on consensus

  • Problem in the wording below: ‘we agree today that these countries will become members of NATO’ with no nuance in wording whereby it indicates an obvious direction of travel words Ukrainian NATO membership

Bucharest Summit Declaration (2008) (2)

• Burns said this in private in a memorandum to Russian politicians saying that if Ukraine joins NATO it would be one of the worst strategic moves by Russia: 

  • “Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest of all redlines for the Russian elite (not just Putin). In more than two and a half years of conversations with key Russian players, from knuckle-draggers in the dark recesses of the Kremlin to Putin’s sharpest liberal critics, I have yet to find anyone who views Ukraine in NATO as anything other than a direct challenge to Russian interests.”  (US Ambassador to Moscow, William Burns, 2008)

• Gates a very respected diplomat said somethings similar: ‘I believed the relationship with Russia had been badly mismanaged after Bush 41 left office in 1993 […] Moving so quickly after the collapse of the Soviet Union to incorporate so many of its formerly subjugated states into NATO was a mistake […] Trying to bring Georgia and Ukraine into NATO was truly overreaching […] an especially monumental provocation.’

Shortly after this Russia launches a land invasion of Georgia who was aspiring to NATO membership

The 2014 Crimea crisis and the Donbas war

• Red areas are occupied by Russian proxy forces in 2008

• In 2014 Russian forces take over in Crimea and then in the shaded area in 2014 Russian backed separatists in Donbas region who fight for their own independence

• Leads to things being unstable around 2014 and in the years since

The 2014 Crimea crisis and the Donbas war- US

• US under Obama leads a NATO effort in rearming and reorientation back to the collective defence

• A boost to US presence in Europe and the Wales SUmmit give a commitment of US allies to give 2% of GDP to defence 

• British and Americans got a commitment to 2% which at the time only 3 countries did- Greece, UK and US

• Also launches European Defence Initiative and increases funding for military infrastructure for Eastern European members of NATO like baltic states and Poland

• Done by Obama and continued by Trump and Biden administration

  • In Warsaw 2016 there was stronger language and more practical steps to help Ukraine with a package in 2016

Obama’s National Security Strategy, 2015

• Despite pivot to Asia at this point the Russian problem come snack and NATO is revitalised under the leadership of Obama

2014 Crimea crisis as West’s ‘self-inflicted wound’

• Even before the invasion of 2022 after the annexation of 2014, Ukraine is having to deal with a significant insurrection in the Donbas (series of regions)

• The 2014 Crimean crisis has resurrection of argument that it was a self-inflicted wound by US as USA continues to supported Ukraine and continued to repeat language of Bucharest commitment with code speak of ‘open-door enlargement’ which was seen as implying Ukraine will one day join the alliance

Opposite Logic: 2014 Crimea crisis as West’s ‘self-inflicted wound’

• Others have argued different logic to Mearsheimer and his argument looks at it from a different perspective as US and NATO spent years trying to partner with Russia as they were more serious with Russia than Ukraine

  • Therefore is wrong to argue US was pro-Ukrainian as US was trying to balance position between Russia and Ukraine

The war in Donbas, 2014-2021

• The estimated number of fatalities in the Donbas war was 14,200–14,400 by the end of December 2021, including non-combat military deaths.

  • According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 6,500 were pro-Russian separatist forces, 4,400 were Ukrainian forces

• The war on Donbas and conversations over it was led by Europeans

  • US doesn't have a monopoly over diplomacy with Ukraine

• Had been led by Russia and France until 2022 

• The Minsk Agreement (2014/2015) over a ceasefire 

• US happy at that point to let Europeans lead the front

• The Normandy Format (2014-2022)

The first Trump administration (2017-2021)

• Was under Trump that Ukraine starts to receive lethal military equipment for the first time

• Lots of hostility from Trump to Zelinsky stems from this period over Ukraine's refusal to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings

• US continuing to support Ukraine

Biden Administration

• Very pro NATO and Ukraine in the administrations National Security Strategy

Prelude to Invasion

• Ukraine’s move westward

• Russian bellicosity

The Russia – Ukraine War (2022 – 2024)

• Diplomatic efforts failed but this was mainly due to Russia laying out terms they knew US could not accept (probably as a propaganda excuse to go through with invasion

• 24th February 2022: Russia launches a ‘special military operation’ (i.e. an invasion of Ukraine) aimed at overthrowing the Zelensky-led government 

• August-September 2022:Ukraine mounts a successful resistance and then a major counteroffensive in the Kherson region

• September 2022: Russian announces a unilateral annexation of territories embracing Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya  

• In 2023 following a failed Ukrainian counter-offensive, the conflict settles into a war of attrition characterised by a long immovable land front 

• As of March 2025, Russian forces occupied approx. 20 percent of Ukrainian territory 

The significance of the war in Ukraine 

Is biggest inter-state war in Europe since 1945

• First annexation of territory by force by a European state since WW2
  (compare with Russian actions on Moldova and Georgia; Turkey and Cyprus) 

• Europe’s largest refugee crisis since WW2: 6.9 million refugees and 3.7 million IDPs (a quarter of the country’s population); 

• Largest number of combat fatalities in a war in Europe since 1945 (since February 2022, minimum 95,000 Russians troops, minimum 45,000 Ukrainian troops killed)

  • Ministry of Defence suggesting 800,000 in total 

• Targeting of civilians as tactic of war (comparable to the Balkan wars of the 1990s and Russia’s actions in the two Chechen wars and Syria); 30,000 Ukrainian civilians killed since February 2022

• Nuclear signalling (Russia hints at nuclear use)

• A ‘proxy war’ between great powers (the first since the Cold War)

• An opportunity for China 

• Link to Israel/Gaza, Taiwan, Korean peninsula (‘axis of autocracies’ etc)

How is the US concerned with this: Biden

• Biden took a firm position of principle, condemning the invasion and can see one of many speeches Biden made

• US condemnation gave rise to significant assistance to Ukraine btu there were limits to it and biden made it very clear early on what the limits on what it was with no US troops fighting or training

  • Retreat in some ways as there had been US soldiers training before the invasion

  • Trying to keep lowdown on ladder of escalation

    • Russia milks this to max as it state sit will use nuclear weapons if cornered in Ukraine

Ukraine and the ‘Global West’

• Other NATO allies provided funds and whilst US was largest but Denmark and Lithuania are examples of countries who gave the most based on their GDP

• Blue shades show those against for 

• China and India abstaining and is an importer trader directly and through third-party in chips and parts to Russian arms trade

Ukraine Support Tracker (1)

• Shows Ukraine support tracker- orange is military support 

  • Shows in total is 101.7 billion

  • Trump last week said it was over 300 billion

• EU/European Commission contribution has not been insignificant

  • Ukrainian economy has been kept afloat by EU

• Germany no biggest European supporter of war effort with UK behind 

• Denmark and Estonia is contributing over 2% to support Ukrainian war effort

Ukraine Support Tracker (2)

• Slightly different calculations but still nowhere near 300 million

• The point here is fairly straightforward that US is main contributor to Ukrainian war effort 

• Set up the Rammstein group as which this framework is coordinated between US and European powers

Criticism of Biden and Ukraine

• Criticisms that sometimes Biden was too slow and gaps in provision and held up by Congress

• US held back some weapons like fighter jets and weapons launchers- eventually got them but later than Ukrainians would have liked

Ukraine and NATO

• Ukraine lent on continuous support form NATO but still not membership 

• Vilnius Summit declaration of 2023

The US and Ukraine (2022-2024): Controversies

• Did the United States provoke Russia into attacking Ukraine?

  • Mearsheimer argument that Russia was provoked

• Did the United States fail to deter Russia from invading Ukraine? 

  • Deterrence failure that Russian did not believe US would come to Ukraine’s aid

• Did the United States have a coherent strategy on Ukraine post-February 2022?

US Policy/Strategy with Ukraine

‘A review of strategies of deterrence, compellence, and restraint suggests a very mixed record. The record is clear that Washington tried both deterrence and reassurance to dissuade Putin from invading Ukraine, but the strategy failed.’

• The face of the policy was clear despite having controversy  with Ukraine as the victim and deserved support hat was forthcoming and delivered and it kept Ukraine in the game and Ukraine though in 2022 to move the line

• Ukraine owned a lot to Biden administration for its survival

The second Trump administration

• Taken different position despite only being office for a few months

  • Almost complete U-turn from Biden Administration

• Cuts in aid to Ukraine

• Talks with Russia

• Breaking the Western consensus on war guilt

• Seeking access to Ukraine’s resources

• Is there a strategy? 

• Within days of Trump coming to power it cut US aid and USAid will be shut down 

• Some uncertainty over whether that cutting will extend to applying for Ukraine

  • Originally Trump admin staff said it would continue and that appeared to be the case btu crucially Trump has not gone to Congress to extend Biden’s work which Congress approved

  • Likelihood with Trump with support of congress will terminate support

Direct talks

• Something which no administration would do after annexation of camera as no direct talks without Russia being willing to withdraw and that was a firm position among NATO

• This changed a few weeks ago

• Trump blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia

  • Trump made this claim first in the presidential campaign in October 2024 and then backtracked when in office but repeated it last week

Direct Talks (2)

• Another Big shift from pervious US policy of condemning Russia as an aggressor

• Trump not echoed to any logic from Mearsheimer but that is not seen by Trump as there is a seemingly reluctance to criticise Putin

• Trump personal  anger towards 

• Personal politics explains quote a lot

Change 4: US has sided with Russia in UN

• Most egregious example is that US voted alongside Russia in UN general resolution condemning Russian invasion 

• There was then a vote in UNSC where US rejected a French and British resolution condemning Russian invasion w/ US coming up with much softer version of which US and Russia supported

  • British and France abstained which is very rare for UK to note vote in line with US 

Change 5: Price for US mediation is access to Ukrainian minerals

• Is a demand not seen under any other administration 

• Deal was never signed as after that press conference Zelinsky was asked to leave and nerve signed nor had proper press conference

• Asks if there is any sense of US 

  • Influence of leadership 

  • Influence of leadership matters less 

  • Shows a clear change of policy which is clearly about one set of policy 

• What Trump is doing is trying is eek a long-term strategic likeminds with Russia to peal Russia way from China so it can focus on a long-term threat of China

Accounts on Trump and Zelinksy relations in his second administration

• However accounts behind it make it seem Trump seemingly loose his temper and show his animosity towards Zelensky 

• POLSIS people have written on it and showed it was personality was involved and not strategy based

  • Patrick Portus- The critic

  • Nick Wheeler

  • Stephens- The Conversation

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

A treaty where Tsarist Russia lost WW1 and had to make peace with Germany, leading to the emergence of an independent Ukraine.

Holodomor

Terror famine in Ukraine (1932-1933) due to Stalin's policy of collectivization, causing millions of deaths from forced requisition of food.

Nunn-Lugar Programme

A US assistance program for former Soviet Union states to denuclearize after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Budapest Memorandum

An agreement (1994) where Ukraine received security assurances from Russia, the UK, and the USA in return for removing nuclear weapons from its territory.

Orange Revolution

Events in Ukraine (2004/5) targeting a Ukrainian leadership that was seen as Pro-Russia, leading to the leader resigning and in 2014 fleeing the country.

Maidan Revolution

Like the Orange Revolution, The Maidan Revolution (February 2014) targeted a Ukrainian leadership that was seen as Pro-Russia, leading to the leader resigning and in 2014 fleeing the country.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Ukraine was a founding member of the CIS, along with Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC)

A forum for dialogue and cooperation between NATO and countries of the former Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union. Ukraine joined in November 1991.

Partnership for Peace (PfP)

A NATO program aimed at building trust and cooperation between NATO and other European countries, including Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine joined in February 1994.

Bucharest Summit Declaration (2008)

A NATO summit where the declaration indicated Ukraine and Georgia would become members of NATO, opposed by Germany and France.

Lethal Weaponry

Under the first Trump administration, Ukraine began to receive lethal military equipment from the US for the first time to support Ukraine against Russian Aggression

Ramstein Group

A framework coordinated between the US and European powers to coordinate support for Ukraine.