Restoration of Ukraine’s foreign policy activities in the context of the founding of the United Nations

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International University Europa Prima

Dniprovsk State Technical University

Restoration of Ukraine's foreign policy activities in the context of the founding of the United Nations

Ljupcho Sotiroski

Full Doctor in Law, Professor.

Yury Kravtsov

Full Doctor in Philosophical Science

Abstract

The relevance of the subject matter is conditioned primarily by the desire to achieve the national interests of Ukraine and the need to fight russian military aggression for the right to pursue an independent foreign policy. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to reveal the issue of the restoration of Ukraine's activities in the political sphere as a result of the establishment of the United Nations. The main methods of research of this problem are: analysis, induction, deduction, and synthesis, which allow describing and highlighting the most important aspects of the development of Ukraine's foreign policy, as well as diagnostic, comparative, system and structural methods. The paper examines the process of resumption of Ukraine's foreign policy after the establishment of the United Nations. The role of Ukraine in the founding of the United Nations is considered, and its activities in the organisation are evaluated. The prerequisites and historical traditions of Ukrainian diplomacy are revealed. The activities of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and independent Ukraine in the United Nations bodies are investigated. The main modern achievements of Ukraine's foreign policy are considered. It is determined that one of the main goals of Ukraine's work in the UN Security Council was to inform council members and the international community about any attempts to escalate the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea and Eastern Ukraine by russia. The main ways of the modern foreign policy of Ukraine were described, namely: preserving the supremacy of the state on its territory, independence in international relations, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic integration. The materials of the study are of practical and theoretical value for political scientists, historians, other representatives of the scientific community, and researchers of the topic of restoring Ukraine's foreign policy, who are interested in the features and aspects of this state activity, and study the role of Ukraine in the process of founding the United Nations

Keywords: diplomacy, international law, international relations, history, Foreign Policy united nation foreign policy

Анотація

Люпчо Сотіроскі Д-р юридичних наук, професор. Міжнародний університет “Europa Prima”

Юрій Кравцов Д-р філософських наук. Дніпровський державний технічний університет

Відновлення зовнішньополітичної діяльності України в контексті заснування Організації Об'єднаних Націй

Актуальність заявленої проблеми передусім зумовлена бажанням досягнення національних інтересів України та необхідністю боротися з російською військовою агресією за право проводити незалежну зовнішню політику. У зв'язку з цим, мета роботи полягає в розкриті питання поновлення діяльності України у політичній сфері в результаті створення Організації Об'єднаних Націй. В якості основних методів дослідження даної проблеми виступають: аналіз, індукція, дедукція та синтез, що дозволяють описати та виділити найбільш важливі аспекти розвитку зовнішньої політики України, а також діагностичний, порівняльний та системно-структурний метод. Досліджено процес відновлення діяльності України у зовнішній політиці після заснування Організації Об'єднаних Націй. Розглянута роль України при створенні Організації Об'єднаних Націй, дано оцінку її діяльності в Організації. Розкриті передумови та історичні традиції української дипломатії. Досліджена діяльність Української Радянської Соціалістичної Республіки та незалежної України в органах Організації Об'єднаних Націй. Розглянуто основні сучасні здобутки зовнішньої політики, проведеної Україною. Визначено, що однією з основних цілей роботи України у Раді Безпеки ООН стало інформування членів Ради та міжнародного співтовариства про будь-які спроби загострення ситуації в тимчасово окупованому Криму та на сході України з боку росії. Було описані головні шляхи сучасної зовнішньої політики України, а саме: збереження верховенства держави на своїй території, незалежність у міжнародних відносинах, територіальна цілісність та євроатлантична інтеграція. Матеріали статті становлять практичну та теоретичну цінність для політологів, істориків, інших представників наукової спільноти та дослідників теми відновлення зовнішньої політики України, що досліджують аспекти цієї державної діяльності, досліджують роль України в процесі заснування Організації Об'єднаних Націй

Ключові слова: дипломатія, міжнародне право, міжнародні відносини, історія, зовнішня політика

Introduction

The acquisition of Ukraine's membership in the UN is a special page of the foreign policy activity of the Ukrainian state, the accumulation of experience in international communication, which later played a positive role in the development of the international policy of a sovereign Ukraine.

An integral part of the foreign policy of independent Ukraine is its activity in international structures that work on countering global threats, including security, environmental, economic, demographic, food, etc. Such a policy is determined by the strategic national interests in the field of security and in the process of the country's transition to sustainable development. The security system at the global level, the effective unit of which is the Ukrainian state, is based on the activities of the United Nations (UN), which is recognised as the core in the universal configuration of countering global threats. The relevance of the stated problem is conditioned by the need for the Ukrainian state to implement a foreign policy that will help implement the country's national interests, and above all, the fight against russian aggression.

It is important to note the papers by researchers who have studied issues of international relations. Thus, Yu.P. Mateleshko defined international relations as a set of political, economic, social, cultural, ideological, and other ties and relationships between participants (subjects, actors) operating in the international arena (states, unions of states, transnational corporations, ethnic and national groups, political parties, public organisations, social movements, individuals, etc.) (Mateleshko, 2020). A. Stojanovska-Stefanova, Kh.R. Tasev and M. MagdincevaSopova added that international relations are possible only if all actors recognise the norms of international law and universal values (Stojanovska-Stefanova, Runcheva, Magdinceva-Sopova, 2021).

The activities of the UN, like every international organisation, have a specific purpose. B. Conforti and K. Focarelli formulate it as follows:

• Preservation of international peace and security.

• Development of friendly relations between states based on the principles of mutual respect and the right to self-determination.

• Ensuring human rights and freedoms in the world (Conforti, Focarelli, 2016).

An equally important aspect ofUkraine's foreign policy was the fact that Ukraine was a co-founding member of the UN and had its own representation in the Organisation (Rich, 2001). Yu.Z. Blum drew attention to this in his study, where he argued that this does not make any sense from a legal standpoint, because the USSR itself was a member of the UN, even more - a permanent member of the UN Security Council (Blum, 1992). Nevertheless, the leadership of the Soviet Union justified this decision by saying that it was the Ukrainian SSR (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) and the BSSR (Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic) that suffered the greatest destruction during the Second World War, since they were completely under occupation. No less important was the legal basis for this decision: after amendments were made to the Constitution of the USSR, Ukraine was granted the right to pursue its own foreign policy.

It is important that Ukraine was able to use this provision to implement its own foreign policy interests. Thus, M.P. Scharf noted that after the collapse of the USSR, its former republics signed the CIS agreement (Commonwealth of Independent States), in one of the points of which Ukraine and the Republic of Belarus pledged to provide all possible support to other republics on their way to recognition by the international community and obtaining membership in the UN (Scharf, 1995). However, Ukraine has not signed the CIS charter, focusing on its own national security.

After analysing the findings of other researchers, it can be concluded that the topic of Ukraine's foreign policy is rather neglected, so in the future, this issue should be considered in more detail. Special attention should be paid to the investigation of problems related to the functioning of Ukraine in the UN bodies.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the historical background and investigate the policy of independent Ukraine, and its participation in the work of UN bodies.

Materials and Methods

In the course of the study, the following methods were used: theoretical method of analysis and synthesis, which was applied in the course of studying and analysing political and historical literature and articles on the process of restoring political activity of Ukraine in the UN; analysis of the features of the development of Ukrainian foreign policy, determining its main goal; generalisation of theoretical material on the problem under study. The logistics method was used in a systematic approach to the investigation of this historical phenomenon. Deduction and classification methods were also used, and in conclusion, the main strategic areas of Ukraine in the field of foreign policy necessary to achieve its national interests were identified. The system and structural method revealed the process of historical development of Ukrainian foreign policy and what impact it had on the Organisation's activities. The comparison was used to approach the theoretical understanding of the essence of the problem of further activity of the Ukrainian state as a participant in international relations. A comparison and systematisation of research on this issue was also presented. The diagnostic method was used in the process of studying the works of researchers, analysing, collecting research results, and comparing them. The findings were grouped and presented.

The study provides for the theoretical collection and analysis of existing approaches in history, political science, economics, and the system of international relations on the issue of prerequisites and historical development of Ukraine's activities in the field of foreign policy. The studies devoted to this problem, its components, reveal the features and approaches to its explanation, namely: information data from books, electronic articles, monographs, conferences, and dissertations, which in detail and comprehensively reveal aspects and problems of restoring Ukraine's foreign policy activities, especially in the context of the establishment of the UN. By the method of analysis and comparison, short reviews of the works of other scientists and researchers were presented, in the process of analysis of which still unexplored issues related to the stated topic and requiring further research were identified, such as Yu.P. Mateleshko (2020), A. Stoyanovska-Stefanova, T.G. Runcheva, M. Magdintseva-Sopova (2021), V. Rich (2001). Also, materials from I. Matiyash (2021) and D.V. Tabachnyk (2006) were applied to analyze the issue of Ukrainian diplomacy. Based on the specified author's materials, the research and design of the toolkit for studying the problem of restoration and development of the political activity of the Ukrainian state was carried out. Research by L.D. Chekalenko and S.G. Fedunyak (2010) helped to consider the historical prerequisites of Ukraine's foreign policy activities, namely the process of development, signing, and implementation of international agreements concluded by Ukraine. At the same time, information was presented on the modern foreign policy of Ukraine, its achievements, and the most priority national interests of the state were described. The active participation of Ukraine in the international process regarding the implementation of the policy of stable development of the general growth of humanity at the global level is described. Thanks to the works of J. Roberts (2019), the bodies through which Ukrainian diplomacy is implemented were revealed in the results of the study, which helped to reveal the specifics of the problem, and also determined the role of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the process of forming the United Nations. Thanks to the diagnostic method, the activities of already independent Ukraine in UN bodies and missions were described. With the help of synthesis at the final stage of the scientific work, the conclusions obtained during the research work were systematized. There was also a classification of the material obtained during the analysis and study of scientific and theoretical research of other scientists. Based on the results of the work performed, the conclusions of the study were formulated, which act as a final presentation of these materials and generally determine the main trends of the process of restoring Ukraine's activity as an actor in international relations.

Results

History of Ukraine's foreign policy activity Ukraine's foreign policy activities have a long history and traditions, based primarily on the experience of Kievan Rus regarding diplomatic relations with the then-major countries. The ancient russian state maintained close contacts with Byzantium, the Holy See, the German Empire, Poland, Hungary, France, and the states of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

After the Kievan Rus fell into decline and disintegration, Ukrainian diplomacy reached a significant rise only in the Cossack era. Having begun its development in the first half of the 16^th century, the Ukrainian Cossacks gradually emerged as the backbone of the Ukrainian entity as a state. At the beginning of the 17^th century, the Cossack Hetmanate became a subject of international relations and an influential military and political factor in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (Kucher, 2019). Nevertheless, after the liquidation of the Zaporizhian Cossack Host in 1775, Ukraine ceased to exist as a subject of international law, and thus its foreign policy activities.

The next chance for Ukraine to regain its independence came only during the liberation struggle of 19171921. It was during the time of the UPR (Ukrainian People's Republic) that Ukrainian diplomacy was established as a state institution in the form closest to the modern one. After the declaration of independence, representatives of the Entente countries (France, Great Britain, Romania) arrived in the UPR, thus recognising the independence of Ukraine. At the same time, after the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the countries of the Quadruple Alliance (the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria), their representatives were sent to Kyiv, thus recognising the independence of the UPR. Soon the UPR's consular offices were opened in many European countries, in particular, in Switzerland. It was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that was the first international act concluded by the UPR with other states (Matiash, 2021). Diplomatic activity continued and increased both after Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi came to power, and during the time of the Directorate that replaced him.

At the same time, starting in 1917, the state administration structures of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) were established. In the period from 1914-1922, the Ukrainian SSR had relative independence, because the Soviet republics had the right to develop and implement their own both domestic and foreign policies.

During this period, the Ukrainian SSR was a subject of international law in the international arena. Due to the foreign policy activities of the leadership of the Ukrainian SSR, during 1920-1923 diplomatic relations were established with 15 states, the Ukrainian SSR became a party to more than 80 international agreements (Chekalenko and Fedunyak, 2010).

But after the establishment of the USSR in 1922, Ukraine was deprived of this right, since the Constitution of the USSR of 1924 assigned the central government in Moscow the duty to represent all Soviet republics in the international arena.

At the end of the Second World War, the USSR adopted some amendments to the Constitution that consolidated the sovereignty of the Ukrainian SSR and gave it some international subjectivity (the establishment of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs). These changes resulted in visits to Ukraine by foreign representatives, in particular, representatives of the Czechoslovak Republic, Poland, Hungary, USA (United States of America), and Yugoslavia.

It was at this time that the UN was created - an organisation that was supposed to replace the League of Nations, which could not prevent the incitement of a new World War. In this process, Ukraine, the BSSR, and the USSR got an important role as a co-founder of the Organisation. This was argued by the fact that Ukraine played a significant role in the defeat of Germany and will be able to make a great contribution to strengthening peace and maintaining common security. An important fact is that Ukraine was active in the UN bodies during the Soviet period. The delegation from the Ukrainian SSR made a lot of efforts in drafting the UN Charter, in particular, the Preamble and Chapter 1. At the initiative of the Ukrainian SSR, they included provisions on universal respect and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms regardless of race, gender, language, and religion. Moreover, by the initiative and pressure of Ukrainian delegates, the UN Commission on Human Rights developed drafts of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, and the Geneva Convention for the Protection of War Victims. Ukraine was a member of the following UN structures:

• Commission on Human Rights.

• WHO (World Health Organization).

• UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

• IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).

• International Labour Organization (Chekalenko and Fedunyak, 2010).

Analysing the activities of representatives of the Ukrainian SSR in the UN, it can be concluded that they defended the interests of the Soviet Union, and not Ukraine. H.H. Shevel stood out against them, as after his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR, he made great efforts to strengthen Ukraine's position in the international arena. At the end of the 1980s, the Ukrainian SSR was a signatory to more than 150 international agreements, which indicates the growing importance of Ukraine in the international arena (Tabachnyk, 2006).

The inclusion of the Ukrainian SSR in the UN as a separate member contributed to the accumulation of experience in international communication, which later played a positive role in the development of the international policy of a sovereign Ukraine.

After the declaration of independence in 1991, a new stage in the development of diplomacy began for Ukraine, as the country finally began to be guided solely by its own national interests. However, Ukraine became a full subject of international law only on September 17, 1992 - with the acquisition of sovereignty. It is important that the transition from the Ukrainian SSR to an independent Ukraine was characterised by the conditions in which it took place, namely, the collapse of the Soviet Union, which led to global metamorphoses in the system of international relations. In the first years of independence, Ukraine was recognised by more than 170 countries of the world, and diplomatic relations were established with almost all of them. An effective network of diplomatic and consular missions was established.

Shortly after the All-Ukrainian referendum, on December 8, 1991, the heads of Ukraine, the russian federation, and the Republic of Belarus signed an agreement on the establishment of the CIS, which was conceived by the russian leadership as an updated replacement for the USSR. The agreement stated that the USSR ceased to exist as a subject of international law. In addition, the areas in which the signatory states would conduct joint activities were spelled out, namely: coordination of foreign policy directions; promotion of the development of a common economic market; cooperation in the implementation of migration policy.

However, the CIS Charter was not signed by Ukraine, because its provisions contradicted the national interests of the state and threatened its sovereignty. However, the agreement on the establishment of the CIS was the first international agreement signed by an already independent Ukrainian state, which is an important stage in the development of Ukraine's foreign policy activities (Priydun, 2019).

An equally important milestone in the development of Ukraine's international relations can be called the process of its nuclear disarmament. This question arose immediately after the collapse of the USSR, since Ukraine contained about 17% of the total nuclear ammunition of the Soviet Union, which made it the third state in the world in terms of nuclear potential (after the russian federation and the United States).

The process of renouncing nuclear weapons in Ukraine was quite tense, as there was a split between supporters and opponents of nuclear weapons in society. In addition, both russia and the United States put pressure on Ukraine to deprive it of its nuclear status. On October 24, 1991, the Congress of Ukraine adopted a resolution on accession to the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) as a nuclear-weapon-free state (ratified later) (Bourdais Park, Chung, 2022).

However, Ukraine hesitated to ratify the treaty without providing it with guarantees to preserve its state sovereignty. To solve these problems, the Budapest Memorandum was developed, which provided Ukraine with the guarantees necessary for signing the Lisbon protocol. The memorandum provided Ukraine with security guarantees from the United States, Great Britain, and the russian federation, under which they would support the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and pledged not to use nuclear weapons against it (except for self-defence). With these promises, Ukraine agreed to get rid of its tactical and strategic nuclear arsenal and signed the NPT as a nuclear-free state (Paisley, 2019).

Modernforeign policy of Ukraine Considering the country's foreign policy activities, it is worth remembering that its main goal is to ensure its own national interests. Among them, the most priority for Ukraine are the following:

1. Guaranteeing the sovereignty, independence, preservation of the territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of the Ukrainian state.

2. Protecting Ukrainian citizens and ensuring their well-being.

3. Development of friendly relations with all members of the international community.

4. Movement towards Euro-Atlantic integration (joining the EU and NATO).

Ukraine carries out diplomatic activities with the help of representative offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in various countries of the world. They are permanent bodies of the diplomatic service, the main tasks of which are the representation of Ukraine in the host states or at international organisations and the maintenance of official relations with them, defending the national interests of Ukraine, performing consular functions, including the protection of the rights and interests of citizens and legal entities of Ukraine abroad. These include:

• Embassy of Ukraine;

• Embassy of Ukraine with the residence of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in Kyiv;

• Permanent missions of Ukraine to international organisations;

• Representative offices of Ukraine to international organisations;

• Missions of Ukraine to international organisations;

• Consular offices of Ukraine (Povalena, 2021).

Regarding the foreign policy strategy for the development of Ukraine, it can be noted that now it is defined, in contrast to previous periods of the country's development. If until 2013-2014 Ukraine maintained a multi-vector course of action in relation to foreign policy, then after the events of the Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by the russian federation and inciting war in the east of the country, the choice was finally made. It was a course of integration with the EU (European Union) and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Among the actions aimed at implementing this course is the signing and ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which has deepened political and economic cooperation between the parties. No less a victory for Ukrainian diplomacy was the granting of a visa-free regime with the member states of the European Union to Ukrainian citizens on May 11, 2017.

Perhaps the biggest foreign policy success of Ukraine was the Crimean Platform. The Crimean Platform - a new international consultation and coordination format created on the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and aimed at improving the effectiveness of the international response to the occupation of Crimea. It helps structure the long-term vision of the occupation of Crimea and strengthen international efforts for the peaceful de-occupation of the peninsula. The Constituent Assembly, held on August 23, 2021, in Kyiv, was attended by representatives of 43 countries of the world, together with representatives of the EU and NATO. Thus, the Crimean Platform was the largest international event organised by Ukraine. The real advantages of the Crimean Platform are increased international attention to the problem of the occupation of Crimea, which will act as a real factor in preventing violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, torture and political persecution of people on the territory of the peninsula (Vladoiu, 2021).

It is also important to mention the creation of the Lublin Triangle. On July 28, 2020, the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine held a trilateral meeting in the Polish city of Lublin to discuss issues of regional cooperation. Within the framework of this meeting, a new political platform was established - the Lublin Triangle. The platform was created, in particular, to strengthen the dialogue between the three countries, support Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and coordinate the activities of the three countries in international organisations, considering the russian aggression in Ukraine. The trilateral declaration notes that the goal of the Lublin Triangle is to bring Ukraine closer not only to the EU and NATO, but also to other regional political formats, such as the Visegrad Four (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) (Bornio, 2020).

Activities of independent Ukraine in the UN Since independence, participation in the activities of the United Nations for Ukraine has been identified as almost the most priority area of the state's foreign policy activities.

Among the important areas of cooperation with the UN for Ukraine are the following:

• creation of effective approaches to strengthening security in the world and forming new regional security structures;

• use of significant diplomatic and reputational resources of the UN to conduct a dialogue with representatives of other states;

• use of the UN experience to solve Ukraine's socio-economic problems and promote stabilisation and growth of the Ukrainian economy;

• involvement of the UN in bringing the russian federation to justice due to the beginning of military aggression against Ukraine.

No less important is Ukraine's activities in the field of maintaining international peace and security. Since July 1992, Ukraine has provided a significant number of military units and personnel for UN peacekeeping operations. During the period of independence of Ukraine, more than 34 thousand Ukrainian military personnel and representatives of internal affairs bodies took part in more than 20 peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the UN. In particular, the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent took an active part in UN operations in Afghanistan, Croatia, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. Given the importance of peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the UN, Ukraine has taken the initiative to declare May 29 as International Peacekeepers Day. The goal of this initiative was to honor participants in operations and honour fallen personnel.

The most important UN agencies operating in Ukraine are: the United Nations Development Programme, the International Labour Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Health Organization, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, and the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS in Ukraine (Tabachnyk, 2006).

An important milestone in Ukraine's foreign policy activity was its election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, a body whose task is to preserve world peace and security. This decision was a manifestation of recognition of the authority of our state among the international community. During its membership in 20002001, Ukraine actively participated in the activities of the Security Council and supported the body's resolutions on the crisis in the Balkan Peninsula. Ukraine was re-elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period 2016-2017.

The main issues on which Ukraine's efforts were focused during this period were:

• Countering russian aggression against Ukraine.

• Ensuring full and comprehensive compliance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

• Strengthening the UN peacekeeping capacity.

• Increasing the level of transparency and democracy in the work of the UN Security Council.

• Strengthening the UN's conflict prevention capabilities.

* Fight against terrorism.

It is important that in February 2017, Ukraine chaired the UN Security Council, which significantly increased the authority of the state in the international arena. During this time, Ukraine has proposed a resolution on protecting important infrastructure acts from terrorist attacks (Kulchytska, 2018).

An equally important fact is that Ukraine has always adhered to the idea of reforming the UN. The proposals of the Ukrainian delegates include the project to democratise the Security Council, aimed at limiting the right of veto of permanent members on important issues. It is also worth mentioning the proposal to create a new body within the UN aimed at the economic integration of post-socialist countries - the Economic Security Council (Smilska, 2013).

Discussion

When discussing the resumption of Ukraine's foreign policy activities, it is worth noting the study by D. Roberts. In it, the historian reveals the topic of granting the republics of the USSR the right to pursue their own foreign policy. Thus, in January 1944. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine decided to change the status of the people's commissariats of defence and foreign affairs from “all-union” to “union-republican”, that is, the bodies representing the central government now represented each union Republic separately. The researcher suggests that the revival of the republics' foreign policy activities would strengthen the USSR's presence in international relations and create new opportunities for the republics to participate in the activities of international organisations. However, during the conference in San Francisco, there was resistance to the separate membership of the Ukrainian SSR and the BSSR in the UN, as Western countries were concerned about strengthening the influence of the Soviet Union in international relations. Despite diplomatic difficulties, Ukraine and Belarus were accepted as separate members of the organisation (Smilska, 2013). Thus, the materials of this study organically complement the author's conclusions on the restoration of Ukraine's foreign policy activities as part of the USSR.

Speaking about the effectiveness of the security guarantees provided to Ukraine for giving up nuclear weapons, it is worth mentioning the study by A.M. Paisley. The researcher stated that the opinion about the Budapest Memorandum as an instrument of absolute protection of Ukraine's security was erroneous. russia has demonstrated that it does not intend to respect the promises made by annexing Crimea in 2014 and unleashing a war on the territory of Ukraine, which in 2022 turned into a full-scale invasion. Thus, russia, by violating this treaty and resorting to aggressive actions against Ukraine, has negated the possibility of using diplomatic influence for nuclear disarmament in the future. However, the author does not believe that Ukraine would have been safer if it had retained its nuclear weapons. On the contrary, she argues that disarmament was a more attractive option for Ukraine. The researcher concluded that the best tool for deterring aggression is not nuclear weapons, but that states should be held accountable for violating international agreements (Paisley, 2019). Thus, although P.A. Meyer's conclusions about the consequences of Ukraine's signing of the Budapest Memorandum differ from those of the author of this study, they are worth mentioning.

Drawing attention to the fact that the UN is authorised to conduct international peacekeeping operations,

I. Zavoli considered the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the military conflict in Eastern Ukraine through the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces. A peacekeeping solution is very attractive, but almost impossible, because russia, as a member of the Security Council, will definitely exercise its veto power over this decision. The author suggests that it is possible to implement this plan if the international community can circumvent the authorisation of the mission by the Security Council. Although the UN Security Council is considered the body that is granted the right to deploy peacekeeping operations, the author's paper refers to the UN General Assembly as a possibility of conducting a peacekeeping operation in the eastern regions of Ukraine (Zavoli, 2017). Based on this, it can be concluded that although the materials of I. Zavoli's paper relate to the problem of this study indirectly, they are an important addition to the topic of the UN's activities in the field of international security.

Speaking about the importance of forming the Lublin Triangle in the context of Ukraine's foreign policy, it is worth paying attention to the bilateral relations between Ukraine and Poland. A. Krzymowski drew attention to the fact that Poland was the first country in the world to recognise Ukraine's independence after the 1991 referendum and signed the Treaty of amity and co-operation with Ukraine in 1992. The researcher also notes that Poland has provided Ukraine with comprehensive support, including military support, since the very beginning of the russian aggression in 2014. As a natural development of such relations, on July 28, 2020, in Lublin, the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania announced the creation of a new strategic and economic initiative for regional development - the Lublin Triangle. The author drew attention to the fact that for Ukraine this was the first official initiative in which it cooperated with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Krzymowski, 2020). Thus, the conclusions about the importance of forming such an initiative for Ukrainian foreign policy coincide with the author's conclusions.

Drawing attention to the fact that one of the functions of the UN is to ensure international peace and security, it is impossible to consider the activities of this organisation without regard for the war against Ukraine unleashed by the russian federation. L.S. Wittner suggested that russia's military attack on Ukraine was nothing more than an aggressive war. Given that the war has been going on for more than six months, is extremely destructive, and leads to massive civilian casualties, it is obvious that there is a need to create a new effective system of international security. The russia-Ukraine war has shown that although such a system should be the UN, it is not able to fulfil its main function and stop the aggressor. The main reasons for this, the researcher considered the lack of political will for decisive actions and the presence of russia in the Security Council, which gives it the right of veto (Wittner, 2022). Thus, the materials of this study complement the author's conclusions about the UN and reveal current problems related to the Organisation's activities.

As for international relations in the context of russia's war against Ukraine, the study by T.M. Fazal is of interest. The researcher claims that russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, caused a shock to the international community, since for decades it was believed that aggressive wars aimed at seizing territories were a thing of the past. The last precedent occurred in 1990, when Iraq attacked Kuwait. Understanding the ineffectiveness of this method of foreign policy influence has led to an international consensus that borders should be inviolable. Now that russia has launched the largest continental war in Europe since the Second World War, this consensus is facing the most difficult test possible. The political scientist believed that if the international community, and in particular the UN, allow russia to remain unpunished, then the use of military force will again become the general norm, which will lead to the outbreak of conflicts around the world. Thus, the priority task and at the same time one of the fundamental principles of international law is the territorial integrity of states (Fazal, 2022). The researcher's conclusions regarding the conditions for preserving international relations coincide with the conclusions of the author of this study.

The analysis of the process of restoring Ukraine's foreign policy activity is an urgent task, as it allows drawing certain conclusions, due to which it is possible to objectively assess the importance of such activities for the state pursuing its national interests. The study of this process is an important subject of research in science and arouses the interest of political scientists, historians, and representatives of other areas of scientific activity.

Conclusions

Thus, Ukraine has a long history of foreign policy and diplomacy, was a co-founder of the United Nations, and played a significant role in the activities of the Organisation's bodies and structures, in particular, after independence. In addition, Ukraine is currently pursuing an active foreign policy.

This paper outlined the main trends in the development of Ukraine's foreign policy and described the goals of the UN's activities. The study analysed the foreign policy activity of Ukraine as a republic within the USSR. The role of Ukraine in the process of establishing the UN and its contribution to the development of the main provisions of the Organisation's Charter was examined. The specific features of the historical development of diplomacy in Ukraine were considered. The priority areas of modern Ukrainian foreign policy were also revealed, the most important of which are: preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state; Euro-Atlantic integration. It was determined how an independent Ukrainian state cooperates with UN agencies. International agreements and initiatives of Ukraine, in particular, the Crimean Platform and the Lublin Triangle, aimed at strengthening Ukraine's influence in international relations, were considered.

The materials of the study may be relevant for political scientists, historians, and researchers who investigate the process of restoring Ukraine's foreign policy activities in the context of the founding of the UN and after independence. The materials are also of some value for students and researchers interested in the role of the Ukrainian SSR in the establishment of the UN and the activities of the independent Ukrainian state in the structures and missions of the Organisation.

It is worth continuing the research and conducting it in more detail, deepening the study of the process of forming the modern foreign policy strategy of Ukraine and related internal and external problems. The study does not exhaust all the features of this political problem and requires further consideration of such issues as the development of modern Ukrainian diplomacy and the impact of russian military aggression on it.

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