Geopolitics: Ukraine in geopolitical strategies of the European Union and the Russian Federation

Abstract: This thesis aim is to explore the role of Ukraine on Eurasia ‘chessboard’ on which the struggle for power has being played, since the continent started to act politically, up to day. Master thesis elaborate on the introduction and theoretical framework that investigate the role of Ukraine as a critically important geopolitical pivot whose importance is derived not from it power and motivation but from it sensitive location on the geopolitical map and from the consequences of it potentially vulnerable condition for the conducting of the main geostrategic players: the European Union and the Russian Federation. Further investigation of the basic directions, objectives and aims of European and Russian geo-strategies points out in the thesis common interests of the Russian Federation and the European Union in Ukraine and underline tensional role of Ukraine in their geopolitical outlines. The result based on qualitative research and empirical literature shoved that geopolitical situation in the East Europe, the historical heritage and the location of Ukraine objectively determines it role as a tug-of-war between the West and East geopolitical empires that pursue first of all their own interests. The inescapable actual and the same time alarming conclusion is that newly democratic Ukraine inhabits a betraying neighborhoods, sided of by powerful regimes that do not wish Ukraine well. With the European Union’s indifference and Russia’s not so covert enmity, the danger is today that it will end up stranded between two worlds, neither in East nor in West. With the message of democracy so resoundingly triumphal, could be indeed turned into a tragedy.