PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AS AN INSTRUMENT OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND STRENGTHENING OF UKRAINE’S FOREIGN POLICY IMAGE

Abstract

The article analyses the essence and evolution of public diplomacy in the practice of international cooperation. The authors study the history of the emergence and development of the concept of public diplomacy in the scientific discourse, identify the stages of evolution of public diplomacy practice in the modern sense. Since public diplomacy differs significantly from traditional diplomacy, the research focus is on clarifying the essence and role of the institution of public diplomacy in the development of strategic communications of the state. The purpose of the research is to clarify the specifics, functionality and potential of public diplomacy as an important tool for international cooperation and strategic communications of the state. This emphasises the substantive feature of the “new public diplomacy”, which is conventionally started after the events of 11 September 2001. Special attention is also paid to the issues of formation and development of public diplomacy in independent Ukraine, strengthening of Ukraine’s foreign policy positions and promotion of its positive image through public diplomacy. It is emphasised that the actualisation of Ukrainian public diplomacy and the intensification of the use of its resources have been gaining momentum since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has given our country the strength to withstand and resist the aggressor for the third year in a row. As other conflicts are unfolding in the world at the same time, and attention is being diverted to helping other countries, it is important to maintain the focus on Ukraine and attract even more resources. The influence of public diplomacy on the formation of Ukraine’s foreign policy image is traced. An overview of the tools of public diplomacy of the top military and political leadership, territorial communities, and local governments in positioning Ukraine as a leading state, a fighter for freedom and democracy is provided. The article identifies the peculiarities of Ukrainian public diplomacy during martial law and the prospects for its development in the post-war period. The normative component of Ukraine’s public diplomacy is analysed through documents (Public Diplomacy Strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 2021–2025, Concept of Ukraine’s Popularisation in the World and Promotion of Interests in the World Information Space (2016)), which clearly define the directions and goals of Ukrainian public diplomacy, ways to solve the problems of lack of objective and up-todate information about Ukraine. As a result, it is proved that public diplomacy at the level of horizontal communications plays a significant role in shaping the positive image of our country, promoting its national brand and protecting national interests.