Which EU did the media make us imagine amidst the war in Ukraine?

The war in Ukraine sparked the discussion about what the EU is and means and what it can aspire to be. Discussing the EU does not happen across all member states in the same way and/or under the same terms nor does it explore the same political horizons. Looking at the media is one of the most valuable moves to grasp these discussions. Indeed, the media are traditionally one of the realms where public discussions occur and unfold, producing and validating specific narratives and needs - with the topics of the EU and the War in Ukraine being no exception. This article looks at the case of media coverage of the war in Ukraine in Portugal by analysing news and opinion content featured in press and TV from February to April 2022. It aims to explore the media pieces considering how the war was represented in the context of debates about the EU and how the EU was represented and discussed amidst conversations around the war in Ukraine. Methodologically, this paper combines content analysis with critical thematic analysis to provide trends and to critically delve into and unpack the different narratives that intersect the roles and expectations of the EU in tandem with the representations of an invasion on the doorstep of the EU.