The European Union towards the crisis in Ukraine

The authors of this article are focusing on the role of the European Union in managing the crisis that occurred at its Eastern borders. The political conflict in Ukraine, which we have witnessed since 2013, entered a military phase. The European Union, in its sense of responsibility for shaping security at its borders, should have reacted adequately to circumstances. The implementation of the EU crisis response process occurred gradually, using, above all, diplomatic sources of crisis solving. All the same, despite the military capabilities for conflict management, the European Union did not decide to use them for shaping security in the Eastern part of Ukraine. The authors have attempted to describe the involvement of the European Union bodies in this process and to evaluate its effectiveness.In assessing such a critical but also sensitive area that is shaping security, it is important to remember about the limitations of the European Union as an organization consisting of sovereign states functioning in the international environment.The European Union, in its actions, needs to rely on the consensus of the variety of national interests of the member states as well as the credibility in implementing universal values, which the organization commonly declares and promotes among the international community.