THE DEEPENING OF UKRAINE-NATO PARTNERSHIP IN 2014–2022: ENHANCED OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM AND THE STATUS OF A CANDIDATE

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the deepening of the partnership between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) during the period 2014–2022 – a time that proved pivotal both for Ukraine’s foreign policy orientation and for the overall architecture of European security. In light of the sharp increase in external threats caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation, Euro-Atlantic integration has become a top priority within Ukraine’s national security and defense system. Special attention is given to NATO’s decision to grant Ukraine the status of participant in the Enhanced Opportunities Partnership (EOP) in 2020. This step is interpreted both as NATO’s recognition of Ukraine’s substantial contribution to collective security and as a mechanism for intensifying practical cooperation in a format closely aligned with full membership.The study examines the substance of the Enhanced Opportunities Program, its importance for the transformation of Ukraine’s security and defense sector, and its institutional and operational implications. The article analyzes the political and legal preconditions for Ukraine’s course toward NATO membership, particularly the constitutional enshrinement of this goal in 2019, which marked the irreversibility of the Euro-Atlantic trajectory. Within this context, the concept of ‘candidate status for NATO membership’ is discussed as a political category that, despite lacking official definition in the Alliance’s legal framework, is used to describe states that demonstrate consistent aspirations to join NATO, actively participate in partnership programs, and implement internal reforms in line with NATO standards. It is emphasized that, in the Ukrainian context, this status carries significant symbolic and strategic weight in legitimizing the country’s foreign policy course and mobilizing domestic resources for its implementation.The study identifies NATO’s role as Ukraine’s key strategic partner during the active phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war and outlines possible scenarios for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration in the medium and long term. It concludes that the 2014–2022 period marked the emergence of a qualitatively new stage in Ukraine – NATO relations, bringing Ukraine closer to the level of engagement typical of candidate countries and laying a conceptual foundation for future membership in the Alliance.