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

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 12, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis

KYIV (Reuters) - European Union leaders decided on Thursday to launch formal membership talks with Ukraine, providing 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.