Zelensky: Over 50 Carpathian Deals Worth €1B Prepared for Signing

More than 50 agreements worth over €1 billion (roughly $1.1 billion) have been prepared for signing as Ukraine launched a new regional cooperation format, the Carpathian Eight (C8).Following the founding summit in Bukovel, western Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region on Friday, Sept. 18, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the Carpathian macro-region was presenting itself as a single market with a unified investment portfolio for the first time.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“And this is only the beginning,” Zelensky said.Energy leads portfolioAbout half of the unified portfolio is devoted to energy, covering solar and wind power, energy-storage systems, new interconnectors and Ukraine’s underground gas-storage facilities.The plans also include a proposed Carpathian wind-energy cluster with a capacity of1.5 gigawatts (GW).“The Carpathians can become an energy supplier to the European Union rather than merely a transit region,” Zelensky said, adding that “this directly supports Europe’s goal of achieving energy independence from Russia.”The summit’s investment program includes 90 projects totaling $10.7 billion, according to the official C8 Summit website.Energy represents the largest category, with 33 projects seeking approximately $7.28 billion, followed by transport and logistics projects worth about $1.05 billion.The format includes Moscow-leaning SerbiaThe C8 format, launched by Ukraine on Friday, is scheduled to continue through Sunday, Sept. 20, coinciding with Russia’s State Duma Elections, which are being held over the same period. Other Topics of Interest 10 Wounded, Including 2 Rescuers, in Russian Attacks on Central Odesa Russia conducted a “double-tap” strike, targeting emergency workers responding at the scene of a damaged 11-story administrative building in central Odesa. The format includes Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Serbia. Although the EU itself is not counted among the eight participants, its institutions are also involved in the initiative.Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s diplomatic shift towards Ukraine comes as a surprise, mainly because of the country’s traditionally close ties with Russia.Belgrade remains one of the few European governments that refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow and continues to depend heavily on Russian gas.Vučić said he will resign as president on Sept. 27, following his return from the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. His announcement followed his Sept. 9 decision to dissolve Serbia’s National Assembly and call early parliamentary elections for Oct. 25.On Tuesday, Sept. 15, Russian state-owned TASS reported that Serbia intended to maintain close relations with Russia, even after the upcoming parliamentary elections.“I am absolutely certain that we will continue our traditional friendship at a very high level, as we have done so far,” Director of the Serbian Government Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Arno Gujon said according to Tass, describing that relationship as a Serbian “national interest.”Siding with Serbia, Russia condemned the UN tribunal that convicted Bosnian Serb military chief and war criminal Ratko Mladić on Aug. 27.Serbia buried Mladić with full state and military honors.During the C8 summit, Vučić signaled openness for cooperation with Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Romania on transport and infrastructure.“We have much to offer – from railway lines and roads to more open borders,” he said, adding that cooperation could also include agriculture and other sectors.On Aug. 7, Zelensky marked his first visit to Serbia since taking office in 2019, marking a symbolic development in relations between Kyiv and Belgrade.EU continues funding UkraineIn its 2028-34 budget plan, the EU allocated €100 billion (about $115 billion) to Ukraine.Earlier on Friday, the EU disbursed €3.3 billion (roughly $3.7 billion) to Ukraine for the procurement of missiles and drones.The EU separately approved a €6.1 billion ($7 billion) defense package for Ukraine on Sept. 11, allowing Kyiv to purchase the PAC-3 Patriot interceptors it urgently needs to defend itself against Russia’s ballistic missiles.According to Von der Leyen, the EU has already mobilised nearly €15 billion (approximately $17 billion) to Ukraine in 2026 alone. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.