The 30-Year NATO-Ukraine Relationship in Light of the Black Knight

• In Event: Ukraine’s Foreign Policy: History, Development, and Prospects

Abstract

Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO have held strong for over 30 years even though they have been undermined and interrupted repeatedly by Russia operating as Levitsky and Way’s Black Knight (2006). Efforts to de-rail Ukraine’s democratization process, re-integration into Europe, and membership into NATO specifically were launched in the early 2000’s and followed Sun Tzu’s notions of “Unrestricted Warfare”. By the time Russia introduced General Gerasimov’s “New Generation Warfare” Doctrine in February 2013, many of the traditionally non-military spheres had already been weaponized and deployed, including in the economic, energy, societal and information spheres in both Ukraine, and in NATO member countries.
Russia worked to undermine Ukraine’s interest in joining NATO and break NATO’s confidence in bringing Ukraine into NATO, all the while trying not to reveal itself as the black knight. These actions affected at least in part, the ability of Ukraine to more efficiently and rapidly start the NATO Membership Action Plan, keeping Ukraine outside of the NATO umbrella and leaving it vulnerable to Russia’s illegal war of aggression in 2014, and 2022.

Author

• Natalie Melnyczuk, Michigan State U / Wayne State U