The Underpinning Realpolitik of the EU’s Policies towards Ukraine: An Analysis of Interests and Norms in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

Abstract:

Owing to the EU's power position within the European regional setting, this article argues that the EU's offer of an Association Agreement to Ukraine was first and foremost driven by self-interest. In gauging the opinions of EU officials in conjunction with the examination of official policy documents, an argument is made that the EU's material, regime promotion, and security interests were all dominant factors in the EU's foreign policy decision. However, the EU's self-perception as a normative power played an influential mediating role in this decision. While norms have an impact, they are subordinate to the EU's self-interest in the context of Ukraine.