The challenges of European Union enlargement in the Eastern Partnership region: The wave of confrontation against democratization and Europeanization

The development of international relations and global political processes is unimaginable without such a significant and defining factor as the European Union and its expansion in the Eastern Partnership region. The formation of a union of European states, which had recently emerged from the crucible of the most devastating and destructive war in the history of human civilization, signified not only a powerful breakthrough in realizing the centuries-old European dream of unification and transforming the continent into a zone of eternal peace and security for all its people, but also the emergence of a new actor on the global political stage, clearly claiming not a secondary role, but a leading one. The successful implementation of plans for political and economic integration of the EaP countries with the EU in the post-war period was, in fact, clear evidence of its rebirth as a major player in the history of post-Soviet countries. The enlargement of the EU and the associated massive increase in its size, area, industrial and military might, and scientific and cultural potential has enormous global political and economic significance. This, in turn, necessitates a detailed analysis of the main consequences of EU enlargement, particularly in the political sphere. This will allow for a clearer definition of the EU's place in its new form in the democratization and Europeanization of the EaP countries and its role in the contemporary political process. The study of this issue is particularly significant and relevant in terms of determining the prospects for further confrontation between the EU and Russia, which is using hybrid instruments to oppose EU enlargement and the membership of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia. The EU's eastward expansion has not only made it Russia's immediate neighbor but also confronted Russia with a new political and economic situation. In the context of the Ukrainian war and hybrid confrontations against Georgia, Moldova, and Armenia, it is crucial to clearly understand the key distinguishing features and characteristics of the rapidly changing political system of a united Europe. This will enable Russia's confrontational policy against European democracy to be adjusted and facilitate the search for optimal paths for further development and strengthening of interconnectedness and mutual influence in various spheres of public life in the EaP countries.