Zelenskyy launches ‘Carpathian Eight’ regional cooperation initiative

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday launched the “Carpathian Eight” regional cooperation initiative, calling for stronger transport and energy links, improved military mobility, and greater investment.

In a statement on US social media platform X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is hosting the inaugural summit of the format, known as C8, bringing together Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary, alongside the EU as a whole.

In his opening speech, he called for the faster modernization of roads and railways, greater capacity to transport goods, and improved military mobility to strengthen defense capabilities.

“We need to build more interconnectors between our energy systems,” he said, also urging investment in storage facilities, renewables, critical minerals, and manufacturing cooperation.

Zelenskyy said the Carpathian region already had strong cross-border trade and energy links and housed Ukraine’s strategic gas storage facilities, which he described as among Europe’s largest.

He called the region a natural European gateway for routes from the South Caucasus and Asia through the Black Sea, saying its shared climate, infrastructure, and institutional challenges require joint action.

The Carpathians have often been viewed primarily in terms of tourism, climate issues, and support for local communities, he said, arguing that the region should become a key driver of economic growth, investment, and energy exports.

He also urged the EU to give the region a greater role in its policies and provide adequate resources to implement them.

Zelenskyy said the initiative would connect neighboring regions, complementing Ukraine’s cooperation with the Baltic and Nordic countries, the Danube and Black Sea regions, and the Balkans and southeastern Europe.

Following the inaugural summit, a declaration was adopted expressing the readiness of all countries involved in establishing the initiative as a platform for, among other issues, "coordinating joint actions by states, their regions and local authorities, European Union institutions and other international partners, aimed at deepening European integration."

On the summit’s sidelines, Zelenskyy held talks with a number of leaders who attended the event, namely Romanian President Nicusor Dan, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.