EUROPEAN SECURITY POLICY AND THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (COUNCIL OF EUROPE, OSCE, THE EU) IN THE CONFLICT SOLUTION IN EASTERN UKRAINE

In: Ukrai͏̈noznavčyj alʹmanach, Heft 24, S. 118-122

Abstract

The situation in Ukraine concerns the international community since January 2014 and remains a central issue in legal and political science researches. The United Nations Security Council (UN) was not only unable to prevent the conflict but also to take any possible steps to resolve it. As a result, a number of regional European organizations have been involved in the crisis in eastern Ukraine. The article discusses the mechanisms of activity of key European structures and organizations which aim at preventing, mitigating and resolving the conflict in Ukraine. The specifics of the methods used by each organization are determined, the success of their activities is evaluated, and the ways of increasing their effectiveness and involvement in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict are suggested. The international response of the European community to the conflict in Crimea and eastern Ukraine has been investigated. The approaches, activities and efforts of the OSCE, the EU and the Council of Europe to address the conflict are reviewed. As the crisis in Ukraine deepened, the tasks of the OSCE Monitoring Mission included the following: facilitating access of international experts to the MH17 crash place, monitoring the implementation of Minsk agreements, facilitating the dialogue on local level to achieve a temporary ceasefire, participating in humanitarian sector coordination groups, ongoing supplying with the information regional, national and international media on the current state of conflict. Accordingly, the situation should not be confined solely to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, as it poses a threat not only to the territorial integrity of Ukraine but also to security in Europe, so the activities of international organizations should be assessed comprehensively with a focus on the need for international law to be respected by all parties concerned.