THE THREE SEAS PROJECT AS A POLITICAL TOOL FOR STRENGTHENING UKRAINE’S POSITION IN THE EU
Keywords:
Three Seas Initiative (3SI), Three Seas Region, European Union, economic integration, Central and Eastern Europe, transport infrastructure, energy security, digitalization.Abstract
The article examines the political and geo-economic significance of the Three Seas Initiative as a platform for regional cooperation for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the opportunities it opens for Ukraine. The article analyzes Ukraine’s potential to participate in key infrastructure projects, such as Via Carpathia, which contributes to the diversification of energy supply, logistics development, and digital transformation. The emphasis is placed on the strategic importance of 3SI in the context of Russian aggression, as integration into the initiative allows Ukraine to strengthen energy security, enhance cross-border cooperation, and move closer to European Union standards. The author also identifies geopolitical factors that affect the effectiveness of Ukraine’s participation in the Initiative, including investment risks and security challenges. The author emphasizes the need for more active cooperation with the 3SI member states as an important factor in Ukraine’s European integration.
References
Zhuravskyi, vel G. P. (2025). Abo my stvorymo polsko-ukrainske partnerstvo, abo my prohraiemo [Either we will create a Polish-Ukrainian partnership or we will lose]. Nezalezhnyi kulturolohichnyi chasopys . Retrieved from: https://ji-magazine.lviv.ua/2025/abo-stvorymo-polsk-ukrainske-partnerstvo-abo-prohrayemo.htm [in Ukrainian].
Kondratenko, O. (2019). Skhidnoievropeiskyi kontekst zovnishnoi polityky Ukrainy: kryza chy shans? [Eastern European Context of Ukraine’s Foreign Policy: Crisis or Chance?]. Naukovi zapysky Instytutu politychnykh i etnonatsionalnykh doslidzhen im. I. F. Kurasa NAN Ukrainy, 2 (98), (pp. 224-268) [in Ukrainian].
Semenova, I. (2022). «Nash zviazok iz vilnym svitom». Shcho take Trymoria i chomu Ukraina prahne pryiednatysia do tsoho obiednannia 12 krain YeS [«Our connection with the free world». What is the Three Seas and why Ukraine seeks to join this association of 12 EU countries]. NV.UA. Retrieved from: https://nv.ua/ukr/world/geopolitics/trimor-ya-shcho-ce-ta-yaki-krajini-do-nogo-vhodyat-ukrajina-stala-partnerom-iniciativi-troh-moriv-50251323.html [in Ukrainian].
Sekh, D. A. (2024). Infrastrukturni proiekty Mizhmoria yak instrument ekonomichnoi intehratsii Ukrainy z Tsentralno-Skhidnoiu Yevropoiu [Infrastructure projects of the Intermarium as an instrument of economic integration of Ukraine with Central and Eastern Europe]. Aktualni problemy filosofii ta sotsiolohii, 50, (pp. 212-216). Retrieved from: http://www.apfs.nuoua.od.ua/archive/50_2024/37.pdf [in Ukrainian].
Slyvchuk, O. (2022). Trymoria staie blyzhchym: shcho dopomozhe Ukraini v tsentralnoievropeiskii initsiatyvi [The Three Seas is getting closer: what will help Ukraine in the Central European initiative]. Ukrainska pravda. Retrieved from: https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/articles/2022/01/25/7133066/ [in Ukrainian].
Sharov, O. M. (2014). Vykhid z kryzy: uroky «Planu Marshalla» ta perspektyvy dlia Ukrainy [Out of the crisis: lessons from the Marshall Plan and prospects for Ukraine]. Ekonomika Ukrainy, 12, (pp. 20-27) [in Ukrainian].
Barth, F. (1969). Ethnic groups and boundaries: the social organization of culture difference. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/ethnicgroupsboun0000unse [in English].
Bloom, P. (2017). The Ethics of Neoliberalism: The Business of Making Capitalism Moral. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315619019/ethics-neoliberalism-peter-bloom [in English].
Laruelle, M. & Rivera, E. (2019). Imagined Geographies of Central and Eastern Europe: The Concept of Intermarium. IERES Occasional Papers. Retrieved from: https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/migrated_files/documents/atoms/files/laruelle-rivera-ieres_papers_march_2019_1.pdf [in English].
Łukasiewicz, S. (2018). Wojny koncepcyjne historyków. Na marginesie książki Marka Jana Chodakiewicza o «Międzymorzu» [Conceptual wars of historians. On the sidelines of Marek Jan Chodakiewicz’s book on the «Inter-Mediterranean»]. Retrieved from: https://ohistorie.eu/2018/07/20/wojny-koncepcyjne-historykow-na-marginesie-ksiazki-marka-jana-chodakiewicza-o-miedzymorzu/ [in Polish].
Petar, K. (2018). The Three Seas Initiative: geographical determinants,geopolitical foundations, and prospective challenges. Hrvatski Geografski Glasnik. 80/1, (pp. 99-124). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326073180_The_Three_Seas_Initiative_geographical_determinants_geopolitical_foundations_and_prospective_challenges [in English].
Prescott, J. R. V. (1987). Political frontiers and boundaries. London. Retrieved from: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315747651/political-frontiers-boundaries-prescott [in English].
