Cultural Policy of Ukraine Under Conditions of the European Integration: Dilemmas and Challenges

To find out the current state ofthe Ukrainian cultural policy, the article looks into the question of the effectiveness of Ukraine's entry into the European community and analyses the level of the country’s positive image formation in the eyes of the international community. With the help of scientific methods of theoretical synthesis, comparative analysis and synthesis, there were identified the problems hindering the development of the cultural sphere and its entry into the European cultural space; there was analysed the legal basis of Ukrainian cultural policy for its compliance with European requirements and principles; there were studied the cultural diplomacyprospects ofbecoming as a tool of soft power policy in order to form a positive image of Ukraine in the world. As a conclusion on the basis of the analysis, there has been made an attempt to outline ways of optimizing cultural policy, as European integration is an important direction for Ukraine's development. Therefore, the creation of a Ukrainian institute abroad should become a key goal, aimed at forming a positive image of Ukraine abroad