Explainer-What Ukraine needs to do to keep its EU membership bid alive

FILE PHOTO: Flags of Ukraine fly in front of the EU Parliament building on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, in Brussels, Belgium February 24, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/ FILE PHOTO

KYIV (Reuters) - The European Union's 27 leaders could decide at a summit this week whether to launch formal membership talks with Ukraine, a step that would provide a much-needed boost for Kyiv amid uncertainty over the future of vital wartime foreign assistance.

Brussels offered Kyiv candidate status four months after Moscow's February 2022 invasion, prompting a rush by Ukrainian authorities to reform priority areas identified by the European Commission.