The Problems and Prospects of Ukrainian-Spanish Bilateral Cooperation

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the problems and prospects of Ukrainian-Spanish bilateral cooperation. The research is aimed at substantiating the main directions and problems, as well as the outlining of priority areas of interaction between both States. It is noted that the essence of foreign policy is that it is a mechanism that national governments use to manage diplomatic interactions and relations with other countries. It is defined that the foreign policy of the State reflects its values and goals, contributes to the achievement of its political and economic goals on the world stage. In addition, the foreign policy of some States focuses precisely on national and international security, which helps to determine how any country interacts with international organizations, such as the UN, and with citizens of other countries. The main directions of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Spain can be called economic and political, and recently – the military direction of cooperation. Simultaneously, the problems of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Spain are the violation of the economic balance between the countries, which leads to an aggravation of the crisis in the economy of both countries. Coming down to forecasting the priority directions of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Spain, one can assume that the main priority direction in the near future will be Spanish assistance to Ukraine in the war with the Russian Federation, post-war restoration of Ukraine, as well as assistance in integrating Ukraine into the EU and NATO. The priorities of Spain’s foreign policy are traditionally focused on Europe, the Mediterranean, North and South America. Spain strongly supports strengthening global governance, playing an active role in the multilateral system. Spain has special growing interests in the European region and cooperates with both the European Union itself, both with a like-minded actor in the region and with the EU partners, such as Ukraine. This political cooperation is supported by trade and investment ties – with a special focus on the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors.

Keywords

• foreign policy
• national security
• international security
• bilateral cooperation
• ukraine