Visegral Grоup: Geopolitical Reality and Prospects for Functioning

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state and prospects of the Visegrad Group as one of the key geo-economic clusters of Central European countries in Europe. It examines the geo-economic and political reasons behind the creation of the Visegrad Group and provides a comparative assessment of the economic potential of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia within the broader European economic context. The study concludes that the Russian–Ukrainian war has become a major geopolitical trigger for the Visegrad countries, and the level of support for Ukraine can serve as an indicator of the geopolitical orientation of each government.

The findings suggest that, in the long term, ideological differences are unlikely to break the cohesion of the countries that established the Visegrad Group, regardless of the political preferences of ruling governments. However, there is a risk that persistent political divergences may push individual V4 members to seek alternative formats of regional cooperation. Another option for the future existence of the V4 is the reform of political interaction and a change in the foreign policy priorities of Hungary and Slovakia, with the hope of effective political opposition in these countries. The growing contradictions in the foreign policy courses of the member states pose a challenge to the Visegrad Group’s ability to operate as a unified geopolitical actor.