Rada cancelled session and minister reports due to international forum in Bukovel - MP

On September 18, the Verkhovna Rada cancelled the scheduled "Question Hour for the Government" and the plenary session. According to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, deputies were told the change of plans was due to "important international events", and later he connected it to the international summit that starts in Bukovel that day.

Zheleznyak reported the cancellation of parliament's work around 10:00. According to him, deputies were informed of the change of plans only in the morning.

"The Question Hour for the Government was cancelled in the Rada today. And there will be no session. "Important international events"", the MP wrote.

About 20 minutes later, he added that it was about a trip to Bukovel.

As of the morning of September 18, no official statement from the Verkhovna Rada leadership has been released that the summit specifically was the reason for cancelling the plenary session.

Meanwhile, the Carpathian 8 Summit - the founding summit of the new Carpathian Integration Initiative - begins in Bukovel that day. The event will last until September 20 and is set to unite representatives of eight countries of the Carpathian region - Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Austria, and Serbia.

According to the summit program, the official opening of the Carpathian Economic Forum will take place on the evening of September 18, after which speeches by C8 country leaders are scheduled.

Among the Ukrainian participants announced by the organizers are Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, a number of ministers and deputy heads of the Presidential Office.

The summit also includes the announced participation of European Commission Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto, representatives of the European Investment Bank, the Council of Europe, and the governments of Romania, Slovakia, Austria, and Czechia.

Separately, their trips to Ukraine for September 18 have been confirmed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Tusk said on the eve that he would meet Fico in Ukraine "where the summit will take place". The Polish prime minister plans, in particular, to discuss sanctions against Russia and the security situation.

Fico, during a speech in Prešov, also announced that he is heading to Ukraine, where he will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi, and other European heads of government.

The summit organizers have not yet released the full list of all heads of state and government who will arrive in Bukovel. The website states that the list of participants continues to be updated as their participation is confirmed.

Carpathian 8 is positioned not only as a political but also as an economic format. The main topics include security, cross-border cooperation, infrastructure, reconstruction of Ukraine, and attracting investments. The organizers expect over 500 business representatives and international investors.

Within the Investment Lab, participants are planned to be presented with 90 projects with a total declared value of about $10.7 billion. The largest portfolios concern energy, transport and logistics infrastructure, industry, and real estate.

Sources: Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Carpathian 8 Summit, Denník N