Abstract
<jats:p>The proposed essays focus on the idea of introducing the institution of protection into the political practice of early modern Ukraine as a mechanism for confronting the geopolitical challenges of the time. The article shows the consequences of attempts to implement this idea during the Pereyaslav negotiations of 1654. Having summarised the thorough source base, the authors conclude that in fact, on the negotiation platform of Pereyaslav in 1654 was the first geopolitical battle between Ukraine, localised in the European southeast, which was mentally inclined towards European civilisational models and whose political system was built on the democratic values of the victory of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, and Muscovy, based on the concept of autocracy as a product of higher revelation and in practice oriented towards the models of Eastern despotism. The book is intended for scholars, teachers, and students of universities, as well as a wide readership.</jats:p>