The Carpathian Eight: An alliance in the mountains – or a supply route for the next war?

Ukraine’s new regional initiative has turned the Carpathians into a test of how far its neighbors will follow Kiev’s lead The inaugural summit of the new Carpathian Eight (C8) cooperation format, initiated by Ukraine with EU support, took place on September 18-20. Leaders and representatives from eight countries in the Carpathian region were invited to discuss security, energy, logistics, and cross-border cooperation. The initiative – intended to unite nations, some of which do not officially supply weapons to Ukraine but wish to foster “good-neighborly relations” – has turned into a zero-sum game. Yielding no significant economic benefits and failing to address real economic challenges, it only serves to isolate the region from pan-continental logistics corridors.Is the Carpathian Initiative a Ukrainian or European project?The foundation for the Carpathian Initiative was laid by Ukraine back in 2001-2003, when it acted as the primary initiator and depositary of the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians. Initially, the format was strictly environmental and conservation-oriented. Countries of the Visegrad Group, and primarily Poland, b...