The gathering, dubbed the “Carpathian Eight,” brought together leaders and representatives from Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary, with the European Union also taking part in the talks.
Zelenskyy described the meeting as a “significant beginning” of a movement to deepen security, energy, logistics and cross‑border economic cooperation at the EU level, and said the Carpathian macro‑region had become a reliable foundation of Ukraine’s defence.
Nearly 550 business delegates were expected at the accompanying forum, where investment and trade agreements worth about €1 billion ($1.15 billion) were slated to be signed, covering energy, infrastructure and other sectors.
In a separate announcement, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine had secured €3.3 billion from an EU financial support package earmarked for defence, including funds to purchase missiles and drones.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk used the summit to declare Poland’s accession to an anti‑ballistic‑missile coalition that was launched in July with Ukraine and nine other European states, pledging joint development of a cheaper alternative to the U.S. Patriot system.
Tusk also said Poland had prepared a new, “significant” aid package for Ukraine, though details were not disclosed, and Zelenskyy thanked Poland for its continued support, emphasizing the shared threat from Russia.
The summit took place against a backdrop of heightened Russian hybrid threats, including sabotage, cyber‑attacks, disinformation and potential drone incursions into NATO territory, as well as overnight Russian strikes that sparked fires and caused casualties across several Ukrainian regions.