Russia's Ukraine policy against the background of Russian-Western competition

The book is a theory-guided, empirical analysis of Russia's Ukraine policy during Putin's presidency. This is the first comprehensive study that considered the main goals and strategies of Russian foreign policy in general and towards Ukraine in particular, that dealt with contemporary problems (EU-Russia, EU-NATO relations) but also presented an overview of historic legacies, and that analyzed two of the main dimensions - economic and security - of relations in detail. It is also original in terms of its theoretical framework - a comparative analysis of Russia's Ukraine policy on the basis of realism and constructivism within a framework of the "third debate." This is an essential reading for understanding Russia's Ukraine policy, its background, goals and dynamics, but it will be also of a particular interest to students and researchers working on Russian-Western realtions. --Book Jacket.