Ukraine has hosted for the first time a summit bringing together Carpathian states, regions and local communities from the participating countries. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the launch of a new C8 format — the “Carpathian Eight” — aimed at strengthening cooperation in security, energy and the economy.
This was announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the president, the new format includes Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary, as well as the European Union as a whole.
“This is a serious start to a movement that should bring our countries even closer together and create another strong element of cooperation at the EU level,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the main areas of cooperation include security, energy, expanded logistics, cross-border economic cooperation and support for local communities.
Ukraine receives €3.3 billion from the EU
During the summit, Zelenskyy also announced the arrival of a new tranche of financial support from the European Union.
According to him, Ukraine received €3.3 billion as part of the EU financial support package. The funds are expected to be directed primarily toward defence needs, including the purchase of missiles and drones.
The president thanked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for supporting Ukraine.
“We are also preparing in detail for a meeting and discussion in New York on Ukraine’s financial resilience,” Zelenskyy said.
Norway provides more than $100 million in budget support
Separately, the president announced Norway’s decision to provide Ukraine with more than $100 million in budget support through the Ukraine Facility mechanism.
Zelenskyy described the decision as “significant and very timely.”
“It is important that Norway is always by our side and helping. I thank the prime minister, the government and the Norwegian people,” the Ukrainian president said.
According to Zelenskyy, the support had previously been discussed during meetings with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
