The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that the most important priority of the country's foreign policy activity is still the counteraction to "aggression" from Russia.

This is stated in a press release from the department, published after the approval of the Ukrainian foreign policy strategy by Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Political and diplomatic counteraction to Russian aggression remains the most important priority of Ukraine's foreign policy," the message underlines.

We will remind, Kiev accuses Moscow that it is allegedly a participant in the internal Ukrainian conflict in the Donbass.

Moscow has consistently denied such claims.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also notes that the strategy is aimed at protecting and promoting Ukraine's interests in the world.

According to the ministry, it defines the goals, "geographic and thematic priorities of foreign policy in the medium term."

“We are working to establish Ukraine as an active participant in international politics, the creator of its own and regional security thanks to new alliances, a country of new economic opportunities,” the press service of the Foreign Ministry quoted the head of the department Dmitry Kuleba as saying.

Details of the new strategy


We will remind, on August 26, Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a new foreign policy strategy of Ukraine.

The corresponding decree was published on the website of the Ukrainian president.

"The goal of Ukraine's foreign policy is to establish Ukraine in the world as a strong and authoritative European state capable of providing favorable external conditions for sustainable development and realization of its potential, economy and Ukrainian society," the document says.

At the same time, it is noted that the basis of Ukraine's foreign policy is "the strategic course of the state to obtain full membership" in the EU and NATO, enshrined in the country's Constitution.

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In addition, the strategy presupposes the adoption of measures "to strengthen the position of the state in the region, to strengthen its role as an contributor to Euro-Atlantic security."

In this context, it is also said about Kiev's expansion of the geography of partnership in the field of security and economy, about the intensification of participation in the activities of international organizations, the creation of new regional formats of international cooperation.

The document also defines a number of priority directions of the country's foreign policy.

Among them - ensuring sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as countering the "aggression of the Russian Federation."

It should be noted that the words about "Russian aggression" in different variations are mentioned in the Ukrainian strategy more than 40 times. 

“The aggressive policy of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine is long-term and difficult to predict.

The Russian Federation continues to destabilize Ukraine, seeks to restrain its reforms and economic growth, and constantly tries to block Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO, ”the document says.

According to the authors of the document, Russia's policy allegedly "is the main threat to Ukraine and Europe."

“The Russian Federation is making efforts to restore its role as a global player through political, military, economic, informational pressure on the states and institutions of the transatlantic community.

The Russian Federation uses the full range of instruments of hybrid aggression in order to establish control over Ukraine, violating its territorial integrity, ”the document says.

The authors of the document did not pass by the United States either, assigning them the main role in "repelling the aggression" of Russia.

"The United States of America is a leader in consolidating the efforts of the international community to support the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, counter the aggression of the Russian Federation, provide assistance to Ukraine in the areas of security, defense and reform," the document says.

As noted in the strategy, in order to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine, its foreign policy efforts will be concentrated in a number of areas.

In particular, we are talking about "strengthening the international consensus on the need to maintain and strengthen political, diplomatic and economic pressure on the Russian Federation", including through the introduction of sanctions, as well as the "de-occupation" of Crimea and Sevastopol.

The document also speaks of "working out, together with NATO, its member states and Georgia, initiatives to strengthen the presence of alliance forces in the Black Sea region."

"Imitation of foreign policy"

As political analyst Alexander Asafov noted in an interview with RT, the new strategy of Ukraine's foreign policy, in which all troubles and problems are explained solely by Russia's "aggression", "should not be considered a meaningful and serious document."

“Such strategies are created by Kiev on a regular basis, but all of them practically do not make sense.

The new document once again proves that Ukraine's foreign policy is not determined by her, she does not have one, but there is a need to resist the notorious "aggression" of Russia, which is what other players are interested in.

Therefore, what Kiev is doing is not a policy of relations with other states, but only an imitation of foreign policy, ”the expert said.

According to Asafov, the thesis about strengthening Ukraine's positions in the region, strengthening its role "as an contributor to Euro-Atlantic security", expanding the geography of security and economic partnership does not stand up to criticism.

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"All this sounds extremely funny and suggests that Kiev simply needs any reasons for requests for financial assistance from the West, since Ukraine itself has long been unable to independently provide for its existence," the expert explained.

The same applies to Kiev's intentions to intensify its participation in the activities of universal and regional international organizations, as well as to create new regional formats of international cooperation, Asafov said.

“Ukraine itself creates such structures, and itself participates in them in order to emphasize the anti-Russian nature of its policy.

However, there is very little sense in such formations and formats, which has already been proved by the holding of the Crimean Platform forum, in which the heads of all leading Western powers refused to participate, ”the analyst recalled.

According to a RT source in the office of the President of Ukraine, the emergence of a new strategy is due to the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Kiev to consolidate the EU countries on the issue of extending sanctions against Russia.

“It's no secret that some countries want to lift sanctions from Russia.

Therefore, all instruments of pressure are used, and calls to bring Russia to justice are constantly being heard, ”he said.

According to Denis Denisov, director of the Institute for Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflictology, Ukraine's new foreign policy strategy is a completely logical continuation of the anti-Russian policy pursued by Kiev.

“Those key positions that have been voiced in recent years are now reflected in this document,” he said in a conversation with RT.

According to the analyst, the creation of this strategy is "a kind of PR action by the current Ukrainian authorities, aimed at demonstrating the alleged effectiveness of their actions."

In turn, a RT source in the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers motivated the creation of a new strategy with Kiev's desire to once again remind its Western partners of its desire to become a member of the EU and NATO.

“But you can at least write up calls on all the fences on the border with the European Union, launch an advertising campaign near the headquarters of the alliance, but this will not give results.

The West evaluates the real achievements of the country, but it does not shine with them, ”he said.

As HSE professor Oleg Matveychev said in an interview with RT, Kiev's publication of a new strategy calling for increased international pressure on Russia, as well as with numerous and unsubstantiated theses about "Russian aggression", will ultimately lead nowhere.

“There is nothing new in the document. The Ukrainian authorities, which emphasize its importance, are once again lying to their own population and the world community. A country that does not decide anything cannot create any historical strategies. Not to mention the fact that the new document will not bring Ukraine closer to joining the EU and NATO - a poor country with its problems in these associations is not needed. For the same reason, Kiev will not be able to receive significant financial assistance from the West. All that Ukraine can achieve in the future is to lose even more land and statehood, ”the expert concluded.