Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday (August 3) that Ukraine will officially launch the “Carpathian Initiative” this autumn, collaborating with seven neighboring countries including Romania and Poland. The initiative will focus on post-war reconstruction, economic development, security, and tourism cooperation, laying the groundwork for post-war recovery in advance.
Zelenskyy shared on the social platform X that the initiative will involve Ukraine, Romania, Austria, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. He emphasized that this is a new initiative where not all countries are ready to provide weapons, but they are willing to cooperate with Ukraine in humanitarian aid, security, and economic sectors, and are starting to think about Ukraine’s reconstruction.
He revealed that he has introduced this idea to the European Council and the European Commission presidents, and they “really like” it. In the future, the Carpathian region will develop cooperative plans in areas such as investment, tourism, economic cooperation, and security. Zelenskyy hopes to create a platform where all countries can participate together, saying, “This initiative can unite all of us.”
He also mentioned that neighboring countries are willing to start discussions on Ukraine’s reconstruction now, which shows confidence in Ukraine’s future. “When neighboring countries start thinking about reconstruction, it means they believe in Ukraine, they believe peace will come. We will definitely welcome peace.”
The Carpathian Mountains stretch across several countries in Central and Eastern Europe, known for preserving large areas of primeval forests. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, local conservation efforts have been impacted, with funding reductions in some national parks and many displaced Ukrainian people seeking refuge in the mountains.
The Russia-Ukraine war has lasted for over four years, severely impacting Ukraine and prompting neighboring countries to continuously enhance defense and border security. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that the US and Russia may restart negotiations on ending the war in the coming weeks. However, there are still “quite clear red lines” between both sides, and further efforts are needed for peaceful negotiations.