Bilaterial relations between Ukraine and the European Union

The aim of the work is a comprehensive analysis of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the European Union from the moment of its inception until the decision to start the negotiation process. The methodological basis of the study official websites of specialized institutions in Ukraine and the European Union, laws, analytical reports, articles by other scientists, etc. Results. According to the results of the conducted research, it was found that Ukraine began to build bilateral relations with the European Union immediately after gaining independence and set the priority of joining European organizations as its key task in foreign policy. The first agreement that regulated relations between the parties was concluded in 1994, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force in 1998, and under which relations were regulated for ten years. Later, there were difficulties in the process of negotiation, there were difficulties in concluding a new agreement. Therefore, relations between the parties were regulated by the “Ukraine-EU Action Plan”, as well as under additional protocols. Only in 2014, Ukraine and the European Union reached new instrument and signed a new Association Agreement, which became the largest international legal act of Ukraine and the biggest agreement that the EU has ever concluded with a third country. In addition, the new treaty provided for the creation of a free trade zone. In the summer of 2022 Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU membership. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was founded that Ukraine began to build bilateral relations with the European Union after gaining independence. The first bilateral act, which defined the goals and purpose of this cooperation, was signed in 1994, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the term of which was calculated for ten years. Later, a new stage of negotiations between the parties began. It led to the conclusion of the Association Agreement, the signing of which took place in 2014. It became the fundamental document regulating Ukraine’s cooperation with the European Union in many areas.