Ukraine’s 2003 national security law was supported unanimously by centrist and national democratic political forces, including Yanukovych’s Party of Regions. Ukraine’s Evolving Ideas on National Security Only one of Ukraine’s presidents (Leonid Kravchuk, 1991–94) was from western Ukraine, which disproves the commonly held stereotype of the country being heavily divided between a ‘pro-Russian east’ and a ‘pro-Western west’. Presidents Viktor Yushchenko (2005–10) and Viktor Yanukovych (2010–14) modified this law in February 2007 and June 2012.įive of Ukraine’s six presidents have supported NATO membership and all six presidents have supported EU membership for Ukraine. Ukraine’s first legislation in this field came in June 2003 with the adoption of a law on the foundations of national security. Poroshenko’s decree became a law in June 2018. In September, Zelensky signed a decree on Ukraine’s national security strategy which updated Petro Poroshenko’s May 2015 version at the beginning of the Russian–Ukrainian war.

Three US Air Force B-52 bombers undertook an observation flight studying Crimea and the Black Sea. There, they teamed up with thousands of Ukrainian troops ahead of Exercise Joint Endeavour.

Last month, 250 British paratroopers from 16 Air Assault Brigade dropped into the Ternivsky training area in the Mykolayiv region just north of Russian-occupied Crimea. The UK continues training Ukrainian forces and supplying military equipment, particularly for Ukraine’s navy. The UK and Ukraine signed a historic ‘Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement’ based on the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement. Reforms, the rule of law, fighting corruption and national security dominated these meetings. He attended an EU–Ukraine summit in Brussels (6 October), followed by a visit to the UK (7–9 October), including an interview with BBC HARDtalk, and hosted a visit to Ukraine of Polish President Andrzej Duda (12–13 October). October has already been a busy month for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President of ukraine 2020