This week, European leaders agreed to begin EU membership talks with Ukraine, nearly two years after it was accepted as a candidate state. On this episode of&nbsp;The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia welcome Ian Bond, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, to discuss possible outcomes of accession talks. How might Hungary, who was the only EU member to block a recent aid package for Ukraine worth $55 billion, complicate matters? What role does the UK play in the future of European defense? Could the return of a Trump administration upend European security?Show notes: Sign up for&nbsp;The Eastern Front‘s bi-weekly newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aei.org/sign-up-for-updates-from-the-eastern-front-podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here&nbsp;</a>and follow us on X&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/EasternFrontPod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

The Hurdles to Ukraine's EU Integration (with Rikard Jozwiak)

Ensuring the balance of power in Europe has, since the inception of our republic, been a core security interest for the US. Today, and for the entire post-Cold War period, the challenges to the European peace have emerged along the line running roughly from the Baltic to the Black Sea. This is what we call the Eastern Front. Our goal in this podcast is to better inform the American people about what’s going on there. 
Join us, Iulia Joja and Dalibor Rohac every week on in our discussions on what’s next for “The Eastern Front.”