PhD (Politics), the National Academy of Defense of Ukraine While searching for the ways of the guaranteed national security Ukraine finally decided to enter the European system of collective security, which was specified in the basic official documents of the state. The Ukrainian leaders realized in this situation that the NATO is the most effective component of this system being the basis for formation of the European security. This idea was reflected in the Ukrainian State Program of Cooperation with NATO for the period up to 2001 and then confirmed in the next program designed for the period up to 2004. In particular, the Program reads that "Ukraine considers NATO as the most effective structure of the collective security in Europe and an important component in the system of the general European security. It is conditioned by a substantial contribution of this organization to the strengthening of piece, stability and general atmosphere of confidence in the Euro-Atlantic domain, by creation of the new security architecture in Europe, by strengthening of the disarmament, control of arms and nonproliferation of the mass destruction weapons" [1]. First contacts of Ukraine with the Alliance were initiated in the fall 1991 before the FSU collapse. In January 1992 the representative of Ukraine participated in the top level working group of the North-Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). Undoubtedly, high-level visits and accession of Ukraine to the NACC (since May 30, 1997 it is called Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council - EAPC) facilitated further strengthening of the links of Ukraine with the NATO. The NATO Secretary-General M. Werner for the first time visited Kyiv in February 1992 and officially invited Ukraine to take part in NACC (Ukraine jointed the organization on March 10, 1992). The President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk for the first time visited the Alliance Headquarters in Brussels on June 8, 1992. The direct Ukraine-NATO consultations in the "16+1" format in ... Read more