N 2 (35) 2025. P. 51–54

CONTOURS OF UKRAINE’S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION THROUGH THE PRISM OF UKRAINIAN-ROMANIAN RELATIONS

Odesa National Medical University, Odesa, Ukraine

DOI 10.32782/2519-4151-2025-2-8

Today Romania is a significant ally of Ukraine and a champion of its economic, political, military and social interests within the European Union. The aim of this article is to examine the political transformation processes in both countries over the last thirty years, when, following the collapse of the socialist regimes in Europe and the Soviet regime in the socialist republics of the USSR, Ukraine and Romania emerged with a heavy historical, cultural and political legacy, including territorial, economic and ideological claims against one another. Each country, in the early 1990s, envisaged the establishment of justice in its own way. The success of the political dialogue between the two countries lay in its being enriched with constructive proposals from both sides, which led Ukraine’s democratic political circles (not without the help of European Union initiatives) to reshape relations from merely good-neighbourly ties to the point where Ukraine came to view Romania as a strategic partner and a future investor, primarily in the southern region of Ukraine, as laid out in policy documents dating back to the mid- and late 2000s. In conclusion, we note that during this specific period, concrete practical results have already been achieved in the economic, political, military and social spheres, which in the future may lead, provided the war ends and peace is restored in Ukraine, to deeper relations between the two countries and Ukraine’s further European integration, with Romania’s assistance, into the great European family of nations, where our country will take its rightful place.

Key words: historical memory, relations, cooperation, Romania, Ukraine, European Union, European integration.

REFERENCES

1. Aksaniuk M. Nedohliad rumunskoi politsii, abo zamakh na bazovyi dohovir? [Negligence of the Romanian police, or an attempt on the basic agreement?]. Dzerkalo tyzhnia. January 12, 2001. (In Ukrainian). Available from: https://zn.ua/ukr/internal/nedoglyad_ rumunskoyi_politsiyi,_abo_zamah_na_bazoviy_dogovir.html (data zvernennya: 30.03.2025).
2. Bostan SI. Osoblyvosti transkordonnoho spivrobitnytstva Ukrainy ta Rumunii. Chornomorskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni Petra Mohyly. Naukovi pratsi. Vypusk 143. Tom 155 s. 5. (Іn Ukrainian).
3. Herasymchuk S, Panchenko Yu. Nepublichnyi soiuznyk: yak Rumuniia dopomahaie Kyievu ta chomu tam zrostaiut reitynhy ukrainofobiv. Yevropeiska pravda. 22 sichnia 2024 [Non-public ally: how Romania helps Kyiv and why the ratings of Ukrainophobes are growing there. European Pravda. January 22, 2024]. (Іn Ukrainian). Available from: https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/ articles/2024/01/22/7 (data zvernennya: 30.03.2024).
4. Martynov AIu. Paryzki myrni dohovory 1947 roku [Paris Peace Treaties of 1947]. (Іn Ukrainian). Available from: http://resource.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S &S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Paryzki_myrni_1947 (data zvernennya: 30.03.2025).
5. Maksymenko IV. Vidnosyny Ukrainy ta Rumunii v konteksti rehionalnykh initsiatyv EU. Mizhnarodni ta politychni doslidzhennia 2019. Vyp. 32, s. 135–153 [Relations between Ukraine and Romania in the context of EU regional initiatives. International and political studies 2019. Issue 32 pp. 135–153]. (Іn Ukrainian). Available from: http://heraldiss.onu.edu.ua/article/view/175822/193827 (data zvernennya: 30.03.2025).
6. Rumuniia vyrishyla peredaty Ukraini neletalne viiskove obladnannia. Defense express. Opublikovano 22 kvitnia 2016 p. [Romania decided to transfer non-lethal military equipment to Ukraine. Defense express. Published: April 22, 2016 p.]. (Іn Ukrainian). Available from: https://old.defence-ua.com/ index.php/home-page/ 898-rumuniya-vyrishyla-peredaty-ukrayini-neletalne-viyskove-obladnannya (data zvernennya: 30.03.2025).
7. Todorov I. Vzaiemodiia Rumunii z NATO v konteksti rosiiskoi ahresii v Ukraini. Rumunsko-ukrainski vidnosyny. Istoriia ta suchasnist [Romanian-ukrainian relations. History and contemporaneity]. Tășnad, 26–28 octombrie 2017 / Editori Irina Liuba Horvat, Anastasia Vehesh. București, 2018 s. 305. (In Ukrainian).
8. Shcherbakov IV, Bohinska IV. Problema zabezpechennia natsionalnykh menshyn ta istorychnoi pamiati v ukrainsko-rumunskykh vidnosynakh. Visnyk studentskoho naukovoho tovarystva DonNU imeni Vasylia Stusa. Tom 1 № 13. 2021 s. 108. (In Ukrainian).
9. Secretary General in Bucharest: NATO is committed to Romania’s security 12 May. 2016. (In English). Available from: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_130677.htm (data zvernennya: 30.03.2025).