Returning to the international conflict arena in Russian foreign policy towards Ukraine and NATO after 2022

Abstract

Russian foreign policy after 2014 witnessed a significant strategic shift, represented by its return to the international arena, expressing its rejection of NATO's attempts, led by the United States, to impose hegemonic influence over Eastern European countries. These regions, Russia considers its vital sphere and a natural extension of its national security in its broadest sense. In the midst of this rejection and defiance, Russia used force to attempt to change the situation. To demonstrate this, the research used the descriptive-analytical approach to analyze Russian policies and describe their developments. The historical approach was also used to explain historical phenomena and events and trace the roots of the conflict according to the concepts of power, interest, and security protection. As a result, the research demonstrates that Ukraine and its relationship with the West represent a turning point in Russian foreign policy, especially after its attempt to join NATO. This placed Russia in a state of confrontation with the West, in which it used force and deterrence. This necessitates the adoption of more balanced global security approaches that address Russian security concerns to avoid escalation, and to support diplomatic dialogue to mitigate the intensity of the confrontation, which could reach the point of a third world war centered around Eastern Europe.