Balance of power as an analytical category of the geopolitical situation of selected countries of the new Eastern Europe

Abstract

The aim of the article was to describe and assess the geopolitical situation of selected countries of the new Eastern Europe from the point of view of the balance of power as an analytical category. These countries include Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The internal structure of the article consists of the following points: discussion of the concept of balance of power and the position of selected countries of the new Eastern Europe, then the political strategies of the most important geostrategic countries, i.e. the Russian Federation, the EU, the USA and the PRC towards the countries of this subregion, were presented, and an assessment of the extent to which the policy of these powers refers to the category of balance of power. The analysis shows that the theory of the balance of power can still be a useful research tool for assessing the policies of the great powers. The thesis that the territories occupied by Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine are an important area from the geopolitical point of view has also been confirmed. For most strategic players, the key country of this subregion is Ukraine. Of the analyzed powers, only Russia wants to change the balance of power and take control of the entire area of the subregion. Other geostrategic players would like to maintain the current balance of power.