A geopolitical turning point? Enlargement discourse after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

ABSTRACT: Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has been cast as a geopolitical turning point for European Union enlargement. Whilst solidarity with Ukraine has translated into the swift granting of candidate status only a few months later, we know less about how the European Union's position towards other candidates has evolved. Drawing on the concept of 'rhetorical action', we explore the evolution of enlargement discourse in the wake of Russia's aggression: does the European Union's renewed commitment to enlargement concern Ukraine alone, or rather expand beyond Kyiv to signal a broader revival of the accession process? And how do Members of the European Parliament's evolving positions on the pursuit of European Union widening align with prevalent ideological and geographic cle

SUBMITTER: Hunter T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12619659 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature