Zelensky hosts European leaders at inaugural Carpathian 8 Summit
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Editor's note: The story is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 18 welcomed European leaders to the Carpathian 8 Summit, the inaugural event for a forum of eight countries across the Carpathian region.
"This marks the start of a movement that should bring our countries even closer together and create another strong framework for cooperation at the EU level," Zelensky said on social media.
The president named "security, energy, a significant expansion of logistics and cross-border economic cooperation, as well as substantial support for our communities," as the key focal points of the initiative.
The event takes place in the ski resort town of Bukovel in western Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast between Sept. 18 and 20, bringing together national leaders, as well as representatives of EU institutions and businesses.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Romanian President Nicusor Dan are among those attending the summit.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was also expected to visit, but canceled his trip due to sickness, with Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj-Estok sent to represent his country instead, the Kyiv Independent has learned from the Ukrainian Presidential Office.
Other countries in the group include Czechia, Hungary, and Austria.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna, along with other senior Ukrainian and foreign officials, are scheduled to attend this week's events.
Zelensky first announced the Carpathian initiative in August, framing it as a forum for cross-border economic and humanitarian cooperation even with those partners who are not ready to provide Ukraine with weapons. Some governments in the group, namely Slovakia and Hungary, refuse to provide arms to Kyiv.
