Zelenskiy Unveils 'Carpathian Eight' Bloc for Trade and Security
Ukraine's president launched the Carpathian Eight, a regional grouping of eight countries, at a summit aimed at deepening trade and security ties.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy launched a new regional grouping of eight countries from the Carpathian region of central and eastern Europe on Friday, hosting an inaugural summit in western Ukraine focused on trade and security cooperation.
The initiative, named the Carpathian Eight, brings together Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and the European Union. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Romanian President Nicusor Dan attended the opening of the event, which is scheduled to run until Sunday.
Addressing the gathering, Zelenskiy thanked regional allies for maintaining trade and transport links with Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. He described the launch as the beginning of a movement intended to draw the participating countries closer together and to create a stronger framework for cooperation at the European Union level, pointing to energy and logistics ties, cross-border trade and security as key areas.
"Naturally, security issues are a priority right now and for the years ahead," he said in a speech.
In a message on Telegram summarising the meeting's outcome, Zelenskiy said 50 agreements had been signed with a combined value of more than €1 billion ($1.15 billion). He offered few specifics but noted that more than half of the accords concerned energy, particularly solar and wind power.
"The Carpathians could become an energy supplier for the European Union, not just a transit region," he wrote, adding that this would directly support Europe's goal of energy independence from Russia.
Close to 550 business representatives had been expected to take part in the forum. Summing up the first day, Zelenskiy called it "a good start: energy, logistics, infrastructure and cross-sector agreements."