Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday urged Hungarian leader Viktor Orban to stop blocking Kyiv's bid to join the EU, as Brussels backed advancing the war-torn country to the next step despite graft concerns.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has breathed fresh life into long-stalled efforts to incorporate new members into the 27-nation bloc.

Brussels sees swelling its numbers as a geostrategic priority in the face of the Kremlin's aggression, with EU enlargement chief Marta Kos saying more countries was a "realistic possibility within the coming years".

Ten countries are currently angling to join the club -- though some, such as Turkey, are essentially frozen in their tracks.

Leading the pack of EU hopefuls are the Balkan duo Montenegro and Albania, while Ukraine and Moldova ha

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