Özet:

Ukraine after its independence in 1991, has mostly avoided being a partner of any Russian political, economic and security initiatives. Since then, Ukraine has mostly pursued a foreign policy tailored to the US and the EU. Russia deems Ukraine within her sphere of influence and has been annoyed at Ukraine’s closeness with the West, as well as her desire to join NATO or the EU. On the other hand, the West under-estimated the geopolitical importance of Ukraine for Russia. Russia, viewing the West in economic decline and American defeat at Afghanistan, attempted to reestablish Russian hegemony at the former USSR territory. Hence, Russia attacked Ukraine, despite the West’s warning. Therefore, this paper aims at analyzing the Russia-Ukraine war in terms of reasons and implications.

Anahtar Kelimeler: