The priorities of Ukrainian foreign policy have gone through a long process of alteration, mostly because of complex domestic and global situation. During the first years of its independence the main foreign policy goals were to win international recognition of Ukraine and establish relations with other countries, especially with the neighbouring former Soviet republics and with other European and worlds countries. Other vital parts of this process were aimed at securing national security of the country, assuring territorial integrity and extend the diplomatic network.
One of the most significant steps in the construction of the legal basis of Ukraine’s international relations was the motion on the Basic Directions of the Foreign Policy of Ukraine, accepted by Ukrainian parliament in 1993. This document determined Ukraine’s key national interest in the foreign policy, defined its principles and guidelines and set the priorities of the foreign policy. The following priorities were outlined in the resolution: development of bilateral interstate relationships, enlargement of the participation in the European co-operation, collaboration with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states, participation in United Nations (UN) and other international organisations.
In the following years (1994 - 1997) Ukraine started to gain status of being an influential state in the region of