Zelensky Launches Initiative to Strengthen Trade and Security Cooperation

In a comment on Telegram summarizing the meeting's results, Zelenskyy said that 50 agreements worth a total of over 1 billion euros ($1.15 billion) were signed. He provided few details, but said that more than half of the agreements were related to the energy sector, particularly solar and wind energy.

Zelenskyy wrote, "The Carpathian region can become an energy resource for the European Union, not just a transit area... This directly supports Europe's goal of energy independence from Russia"

The new grouping includes Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and the European Union.

The launch event of this new grouping is expected to continue until Sunday, and was attended on Friday by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and Romanian President Nicolae Ciucă.

In a comment on Telegram at the beginning of the meeting, Zelenskyy said, "This represents the beginning of a movement that will (create) greater rapprochement between our countries and another strong framework for cooperation at the European Union level," pointing to the expansion of cooperation in the fields of energy, logistics, cross-border trade, and security.

In a speech he delivered, Zelenskyy said, "Of course, security issues are a priority at the moment and in the coming years"

The forum was expected to be attended by around 550 business representatives.

In a speech broadcast on Ukrainian television, Zelenskyy said, "It's a good start: agreements in energy, logistics, infrastructure, and across various sectors"