Ukraine's European integration course has resulted in deepening cooperation between Ukraine and the countries of the European Union. However, this cooperation has been a controversial topic within the societies of European Union member states, including the Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are vivid examples of small states with significant influence in the EU, and have generally supported the EU's policy of cooperating with Ukraine. However, the Benelux countries cannot be construed as a single political body in this context. The trend towards EU enlargement "to the East" within the framework of the Eastern Partnership has been perceived differently among the Benelux countries, primarily due to varying levels of anti-Europe sentiment. This sentiment is most pronounced in Dutch society, which has resulted in growing skepticism about further cooperation between Ukraine and the EU.
The subject of this research is the dynamics of changes in the foreign policy of the Benelux countries towards Ukraine as well as the peculiarities of defining the foreign policy strategies of small states in the context of the Benelux policy towards Ukraine. The project will also interrogate the characteristics of the policies of small states in matters related to the resolution of international conflicts through the prism of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Aliesia Soloviova graduated at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in International Relations. She currently is a Visiting Fellow at the IWM.
Katherine Younger, IWM Permanent Fellow and Research Director of the Ukraine in European Dialogue program, provided commentary and moderated the discussion.
