2023/09/13 by Per Ekman · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies #Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics #Russia and Soviet political economy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/10758216.2023.2253358
openalex publication_date 2023/09/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
For decades, Ukraine’s foreign policy was indecisive, with elites balancing domestic interests, Russia, and the West. This article claims a critical juncture occurred in 2013–2014 resulting in Ukraine’s decisive turn to the West for two main reasons. First, the fragmentation of the Donetsk elite and territorial losses that excluded parts of its voter base weakened “pro-Russian” political forces inside Ukraine. Second, Ukraine’s predominant foreign policy narrative increasingly portrayed the EU and NATO as a civilizational choice and Russia as a radical other. The article shows how the critical juncture made Ukraine’s shift possible and how Ukraine’s pro-Western orientation stabilized from 2014 onward.