States of the Visegrad Group in Conditions of New Security Challenges as a Result of the Russian-Ukrainian War

The article aims to analyse the positioning of the member states of the Visegrad Group in the new security environment, and to find out the specifics of their cooperation in new geopolitical conditions. The objectives of this study are to characterise the actions of states in strengthening their defence capabilities, to analyse key changes in achieving energy security, and to find out the specifics of ensuring information security. In the course of the research, a systematic approach was used to establish the relationship between definite events and their impact on the evolution of the positioning of states in the new security environment, forming a holistic picture of the impact of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine on their security policy. The use of the chronological method and event analysis contributed to the analysis of the process of interaction between the states, and the comparative analysis made it possible to single out common and different actions in their foreign policy at the current stage. A prognostic method was used to forecast prospects for cooperation between countries. It was concluded that the Russian-Ukrainian war has become a factor of turbulence in world space, and the Visegrad Group is forced to respond to global processes initiated by this war. As a result of Hungary's different position regarding cooperation with Russia and the provision of military support to Ukraine within the unification framework, the coordination of actions became difficult. The group will likely continue its activity in those areas in which states can reach a consensus, but the effectiveness of security cooperation remains in question, and the lack of unity on new security challenges will not contribute to strengthening stability in the Central European region. At the same time, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have started a course to strengthen their defence capabilities, energy independence, and information countermeasures against Russian propaganda, which indicates their active policy in the face of new security threats. In the future, the extent to which they will be ready to use the potential of the union to advance their national interests and ensure national security will depend on the political will of the states.