Ukraine as a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the process of leaving the organization

Abstract

In this article the author conducts a research on the role of the Ukrainian state in the process of creating the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1991, intergovernmental cooperation of Ukraine as a part of the Commonwealth and law aspects of Ukraine leaving the intergovernmental organization. In the author’s opinion a clear international-law position of Ukraine towards preservation of its own sovereignty and independence did not allow Russian Federation to transform CIS in an updated Soviet Union with the dominance of russian state factors. In the process of cooperation in the CIS format Ukraine limited itself to the status of a member of organization and rejected its formal membership. Ukraine did not sign CIS Charter, stood up against formation of executive structures of CIS and did not become a part of the military aspect of CIS - Collective Security Treaty Organization, agreed to economic cooperation with reservations. It allowed Ukraine to concentrate more on bilateral economic relations with post-soviet countries and to follow the pace of European law and economic integration with the European Union. Instead, Ukrainian state focused its activity in the CIS format only on economic cooperation with post-soviet republics and on the preservation of the exsisting since the period of Soviet Union and necessary for Ukraine intergovernmental cooperation. After russian military invasion of Ukraine and violation by Russian Federation of territorial integrity of the country in 2014 CIS did not condemn Russia’s aggresion and the procedure of Ukraine leaving CIS started. This process is accompanied by long-term legal procedures for denunciation of agreements signed by Ukraine in the CIS format.