The European Union decided Thursday to open accession negotiations with Ukraine, a stunning reversal for a country at war that had struggled to find the backing for its membership aspirations and long faced obstinate opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. | AP

Ukraine to start “negotiations” with the European Union

The European Union aims to help Ukraine with a 1.2 billion euro financial aid package to mitigate the effects of a feared conflict with Russia, which has amassed troops and heavy weapons on Ukraine's border.