Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has launched a new regional cooperation format known as the Carpathian Eight, bringing together countries and institutions around Central and Eastern Europe with an agenda centered on security, trade, energy and logistics.
The initiative was introduced at a summit in western Ukraine on Friday. Zelensky said the format is intended to strengthen cooperation among countries connected to the Carpathian region and improve coordination with the European Union.
Who is involved
Reuters reported that the grouping brings together Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and the European Union. Leaders including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Romanian President Nicusor Dan attended the inaugural event.
The summit is expected to continue through the weekend and includes a business forum. Ukrainian officials said roughly 550 business representatives were expected, with trade and investment agreements worth about €1 billion under discussion.
Security and logistics drive the agenda
Ukraine has depended heavily on neighboring countries to keep road, rail and commercial routes functioning since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelensky said the new format is designed to build on that cooperation, particularly in energy links, transport infrastructure and cross-border trade.
Security is also a central theme. The participating countries do not all share the same foreign-policy positions, so the initiative’s practical significance will depend on whether members can translate broad cooperation goals into durable joint projects.
For Ukraine, the format also creates another venue for regional diplomacy at a time when European security and reconstruction planning are increasingly tied to transport, energy and investment networks across its western border.
Sources: Office of the President of Ukraine and Reuters reporting published September 18, 2026.
