The effect of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the energy security of the EU in the framework of neoclassical realism

With the increasing need and dependency on energy in the world, energy and energy security issues, which are among the basic components of international actor relations, have become the most important dynamics of power politics, and this has been very decisive in the foreign policy moves of international actors. The European Union, which does not have sufficient resources and procures energy from external sources, has to ensure energy security by creating energy policies, as it is among the regional powers in terms of demand for energy resources. Based on this, the thesis aims to explain the concepts of energy and security in order to structure the assumption in question, to reveal how energy shapes the definitions of security, and to conceptualize energy security by making use of neoclassical realism, which is one of the international relations foreign policy analysis theories. Through the theoretical framework created, it is aimed to gain a theoretical perspective on energy security and the energy geopolitics of the EU by determining the place of the strategic moves that the EU can make in terms of ensuring energy security in its foreign policy, going beyond traditional definitions and also taking into account the theories of the international relations discipline. The study, which was designed to touch upon the energy profile of the EU as well as its policies and initiatives in the field of energy since its establishment, also included the EU's understanding of energy security and energy security targets and drew attention to the importance of Russia and Ukraine, which are in a key position in ensuring the energy security of the Union. In addition, the study examines the energy-related crises between Russia and Ukraine, their effects on the EU's energy security and their global reflections through neoclassical realism and points out the place and importance of energy in foreign policy.