Ukrainian architecture has initial roots in the Eastern Slavic state of Kievan Rus'. After the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus', the distinct architectural history continued in the principalities of Galicia–Volhynia and later in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During the epoch of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, a style unique to Ukraine developed under the influences of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

After the union with the Tsardom of Russia, architecture in Ukraine began to develop in different directions, with many structures in the larger eastern, Russian-ruled area built in the styles of Russian architecture of that period, whilst the western Galicia was developed under Austro-Hungarian architectural influences, in both cases producing fine examples. Despite this, Ukrainian national motifs would continue to be used and have seen a resurgence starting from the early 20th century, during some periods of the Soviet era and in modern independent Ukraine.

First monuments of stone architecture in the territory of modern Ukraine stem from the Antiquity. Stating from the 8th century BC, numerous Greek colonies appeared on the northern Black Sea coast, the most prominent among them being Tyras (modern-day Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi), Olbia, Chersonesus, Theodosia, Panticapaeum (now Kerch) and others. Initially the architecture of those settlements was strongly influenced by the building traditions of Ionia, from which many of the colonists stemmed, but starting from the 5th century BC Athenian influence became obvious in the region. During the first centuries of the new era Hellenistic architecture became widespread in the Pontic area. Among valuable structures preserved from the era of Greek colonization in modern-day Ukraine are ruins of defensive walls, residential houses and temples, elements of columns.

Following significant destruction during the Migration Period, the architecture of Greek colonies on the Black Sea was revived during the Byzantine era. Significant objects constructed during that time were early Christian churches, many of which utilized elements of previously ruined ancient buildings. The centre of temple architecture in Late Antiquity and early Middle Ages was Chersonesos. Many Christian churches of the earliest period (4th–7th centuries AD) had a characteristic cruciform ground plan, influenced by Middle Eastern architecture, but rotundas were also widespread. In the 7th–9th centuries basilicas of Roman type appeared. Intermediate forms were also represented in church architecture of that time. The best-preserved monument of Byzantine architecture in Crimea is the 8th-century Church of St. John the Baptist in Kerch.

The medieval state of Kievan Rus' was the predecessor of modern states of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus and their respective cultures, including architecture.

Church architecture of Rus' predated the adoption of Christianity in 988, and Christian temples in Kyiv are mentioned as early as 945. Early Eastern Orthodox churches were mainly made of wood, with the simplest form becoming known as a cell church. The architectural style of the Kievan state was strongly influenced by the Byzantine architecture, and Greek masters were invited to build the first stone churches in the region by prince Volodymyr, but influences of Western European Romanesque architecture were also present. Major cathedrals often featured scores of small domes, which led some art historians to take this as an indication of the appearance of pre-Christian pagan Slavic temples. Although early Kievan Rus' architecture had a common style, it eventually diverged into a number of local varieties.

The main styles found on the territory of Ukraine are the Kyiv–Chernihiv, Galician, Pereiaslav, and Volhynian schools of architecture. Among prominent structures known from the Rus' era in Kyiv are Church of the Tithes (986–996), St. Sophia Cathedral (1017–1037), Golden Gate (c. 1018–1037), St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery (1108), Three Hierarchs Church (12th century), Church of the Dormition (1132), St. Cyril's Church (1140), Church of the Saviour at Berestove (12th century), Dormition Cathedral (1073) and Gate Church of the Trinity (1108) in Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and Saint Michael's Сhurch [uk] within Vydubychi Monastery (1088). Many of these churches survive to this day, however, in the course of the 16th–18th centuries, some of them were externally rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style. Examples include the grand Saint Sophia Cathedral, Church of the Saviour at Berestove, and the St. Cyril's Church. The Golden Gate in Kyiv, built in 1037, was reconstructed in 1982, but its new design was dismissed by some art and architecture historians as a revivalist fantasy.

In Chernihiv the architecture of the Rus' era is represented by several church buildings: Transfiguration Cathedral (1024–1036), Cathedral of Sts. Boris and Gleb (1120–1123), St. Elijah's Church (1078), Dormition Cathedral of Yelets Monastery (1060), and St. Paraskeva's Church (12th century, reconstruction done in the late 1940s). Partially preserved medieval structures can also be found in several locations around Kyiv and Chernihiv, such as Oster and Bilohorodka. In Kaniv the St. George's Church built in the 1140s has been preserved in a partially reconstructed form. In Northern and Western Ukraine prominent buildings from the Rus' era are represented by such examples as the Saint Basil Church in Ovruch (built in 1190 and reconstructed in 1907–1909), Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr (built in 1160, reconstructed in 1896–1900), and Saint Pantaleon Church near Halych (built around 1200, reconstructed in 1998). In Halych and the surrounding areas, foundations of numerous churches have been discovered, including the ruins of the Dormition Cathedral in Krylos built by prince Yaroslav Osmomysl. Rus' architecture of Halych lands is signified by an obvious Romanesque influence, which can also be seen in Chernihiv, but is less prominent in Kyiv.