PARTICIPATION OF THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES IN THE COLLECTIVE SECURITY SYSTEM IN THE STATE POLICY OF INDEPENDENT UKRAINE

Abstract

The scientific article deals with the conceptual questions of the state policy of Ukraine regarding the participation of the Armed Forces in the collective security system. The specifics of state policy in national security and defense are outlined; its influence on the formation of Ukraine's foreign policy in the 21st century is clarified. The focus is on the factor of Russian aggression in the Crimea and the Donbas, which is extremely actualized the issue of Ukraine's participation in the collective security system in the region. The author draws attention to the fact that the participation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU) in the collective security system has remained an integral part of the state policy since the implementation of its multi-vector foreign policy model, without having a clearly defined political strategy. It was stated that only with the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine and the appearance of new challenges to national security and defense, the issue of the Armed Forces' participation in the collective security system became conceptual and received a clearly defined vector of development. It can be concluded that our country's participation in the Euro-Atlantic security system will permit it to influence collective political decisions and international policymaking in the region. At the same time, the expansion and deepening of Ukraine's international relations lead to urgent the need for improvement of the regulatory framework of the security and defense sphere. The prospect of integration into NATO's collective security systems and under the presidency of the EU (European Union) will also give an impulse to the transformation of the Armed Forces into a professional army able to resist any challenge to the national security of the country, towards raising military standards. Keywords: national security, NATO, foreign policy, Russian aggression.