Inside Story

What next for Ukraine’s EU membership application?

EU votes to start membership talks, but block billions in aid funding.

Mixed messages are being sent from Brussels to Kyiv.

The European Union votes to advance accession talks for Ukraine, but Hungary blocks billions of dollars in aid money.

Money from the US to Kyiv is also being held up, as Republicans push for aid to be linked to extra funds to secure the US-Mexico border.

It comes as winter settles on the battlefield, and the Ukrainian counteroffensive which stoked high hopes in spring has ground to a halt.

Where does that leave the war effort – and Ukraine’s hopes for EU membership?

Presenter: Sohail Rahman

Guests:

Mariia Zolkina – Head of regional security and conflict studies at the Democratic Initiatives Foundation think-tank

Donnacha O’Beachain – Professor of international relations at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University

Ben Aris – Founder and editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews