A planned European Union loan of €90bn for Ukraine has been blocked by Hungary ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion.
Planned peace talks, mediated by the US, between the two sides are due to resume next week but it is not clear if there will be any breakthrough.
The EU remains outside the talks process.
Professor of Politics at Dublin City University Donnacha Ó Beacháin told Behind the Story the EU will likely have to step up to support Ukraine more.
"There were many who are argued that this was a proxy war between the US and Russia, but during the last year the US has effectively switched sides," he said.
"Europe is having this moment of crisis but it's a crossroads moment – a moment of opportunity.
"It cannot go on as it is – it has proven that in the first major revision of borders by a dictator since the 1930s, it’s unable to effectively help Ukraine.
"The only thing the EU can do going forward is to deepen its defence and security corporation and try and reduce the ability of countries like Hungary under [Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán to stop the EU helping Ukraine.
"We have many mini-Trumps in Europe."
Drone attacks
Prof Ó Beacháin said the number of drones being sent into Ukraine each night has risen, from about 500 per night back in July to over 1,000 now.
"The Ukrainians do not have enough air defence to protect themselves from the drones and missiles, and the Russians are sending more to more into Ukraine," he said.
"The Ukrainians, when they see things coming in on their radars, they don’t know what’s a decoy, what’s a drone and what’s a missile – they have to simply fire.
"They get 90%-plus every night but that means 10% get through, and they’re the lethal ones."
Ending the war?
Prof Ó Beacháin said there seems to be no appetite in Russia to end the conflict.
"A lot of the Russian people tend to watch politics from afar rather than participate in it, and they see politics as something at elite level.
"So, they allow [Russian President] Putin to do what he’s going to do and they don’t stop him, but they don’t feel they have the power to stop him."
Fran also talks to Merritt Bucholz from the University of Limerick’s School of Architecture, who is leading an international workshop to help Ukraine re-imagine and rebuild itself after the war, and Oleksandra Deineha who is from Ukraine but is now studying in Ireland.
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