Zelenskyy Hosts Inaugural Carpathian Eight Summit in Western Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed leaders and representatives of the newly formed "Carpathian Eight" group to the country's western Ivano-Frankivsk region on Friday for the bloc's inaugural summit.

The gathering, held in the resort town of Bukovel, is intended to deepen cooperation among countries in the region. Zelenskyy first announced the initiative in August. Alongside Ukraine, the group brings together Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary, with the European Union also taking part.

In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy described the meeting as a "significant beginning" of a movement aimed at further strengthening ties between the participating countries and creating another strong element of cooperation at the EU level. He said the states involved would work together on security, energy, logistics, cross-border economic ties and support for local communities.

Among those attending were Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Romanian President Nicusor Dan and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Other participating countries sent representatives, including Czech Senate first Deputy Chairman Jiri Drahos and Christine Schwarz-Fuchs, President of the Austrian Federal Council.

Zelenskyy and Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, greeted the arriving delegations outside the venue before the leaders moved into a working meeting.

The summit's membership reflects a mix of positions toward Kyiv. Some of the represented nations, such as Poland and Romania, have been staunch supporters of Ukraine, while nearby countries including Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia have refused to provide military assistance.