Zelenskyy Hosts Inaugural Carpathian Eight Summit as Russian Strikes Kill Two
Ukraine's president welcomed leaders from seven countries for the first Carpathian Eight summit, as overnight Russian strikes killed two in Zhytomyr and damaged a shopping complex in Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed leaders and representatives from seven regional countries on Friday for the inaugural summit of the so-called "Carpathian Eight," a new grouping aimed at deepening cooperation among Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. The European Union is also involved in the initiative.
The meeting took place in western Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region. The participating nations have taken differing stances on the war: Poland and Romania have been staunch supporters of Kyiv, while Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia have declined to provide direct military assistance.
In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy described the summit as a "significant beginning" of a movement intended to further strengthen ties between the countries and create another strong element of cooperation at the EU level. He said participants would work together on security, energy, logistics, cross-border economic ties and support for local communities.
The summit comes as U.S.-mediated efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion have stalled, with the question of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine among the central sticking points. Ukraine is also seeking security guarantees from partners as part of any deal.
Overnight, Russian strikes caused deaths and injuries in multiple Ukrainian regions. Ukraine's State Emergency Service said two people were killed and two others injured in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv. The strikes sparked fires in warehouse and production buildings, forcing rescuers to retreat during repeated air raid alerts while emergency deminers checked the area for explosive devices. Firefighters later extinguished the blazes.
A separate Russian drone attack destroyed a shopping complex in Zaporizhzhia, injuring one person and triggering a fire, the service said.
On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 629 Ukrainian drones overnight over 14 Russian regions, as well as illegally annexed Crimea and the Azov and Black seas. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 350 drones were headed toward the capital, most of which were destroyed far from the city, while 64 were downed as they approached.
In the southern Rostov region near the border with Ukraine, local authorities reported damage to houses and residential buildings in an attack, with no casualties, according to Gov. Yuri Slyusar.
The Russian military said it carried out drone strikes overnight on Ukrainian ports, vessels and logistics centers operating for the military. It said Russian forces hit a bulk carrier in the port of Chornomorsk and a Nova Poshta logistics facility about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) northwest of Odesa, which the Defense Ministry claimed was used for storing and distributing military cargo from Europe.