Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has opened the first Carpathian summit in western Ukraine, bringing together leaders and officials from neighbouring EU countries with which Kiev seeks to deepen economic ties.
The gathering "brings together all the countries of our Carpathian region, our neighbours, and all Europeans in this part of the continent who respect the independence of nations," Zelenskyy said on Friday.
Representatives of Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and the European Union attended the inaugural summit, according to the Ukrainian leader.
"The Carpathian macro-region has become one of the most reliable foundations of our defence. This is about strength that exists and will continue to exist," Zelenskyy added.
He said the summit would bring together political leaders, as well as business representatives to discuss economic cooperation, security and logistics, as Russia targets Ukraine's transport routes.
Financial, military backing
Now in the fifth year of war with Russia, Ukraine is seeking to secure continued financial and military backing to sustain its war effort.
"Difficult weeks and months lie ahead for all of us, not just Ukraine. And it's worth showing solidarity at a time like this," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told journalists ahead of the summit.
With around two-thirds of state spending devoted to defence, Kiev said it would require an additional $53 billion in foreign aid next year, including support from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Ukraine is also seeking additional missile defence systems to counter the rising Russian ballistic attacks, while developing interceptors to counter Russia's jet-powered drones.
