Ukrainians and the EU: integration, divisions and scepticism

With the full-scale invasion, relations with the EU have suddenly become very concrete for Ukrainian citizens. Many have been displaced, living in various EU countries under temporary protection status –some want to stay there. And while EU countries were seen as important in providing military aid, key member states such as Germany were heavily criticised for their perceived slow delivery. This episode is about Ukrainians - in Ukraine and abroad - their experiences of war and European integration, and what these might mean for the future of Ukrainian and European politics. Marina Rabinovych talks to Valeria Lazarenko, who has studied governance regimes for Ukrainian refugees in Germany, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic, and Kostiantyn Fedorenko, who has researched the risks of Euroscepticism in Ukraine - an issue of growing relevance as the war enters its fourth year and the stakes rise for potential negotiations and Europe's role in them.

President Zelenskiy signed Ukraine's official application for EU membership on 28 February 2022, four days after Russia's full-scale invasion began. Although the application was approved and Ukraine gained EU candidate status with unprecedented speed, the road remains challenging and does not promise to get any easier as the war continues and around 20% of Ukraine's territory is occupied by Russia.