The European Committee of the Regions joined Ukrainian and European local leaders in Kyiv to underline the essential role cities and regions play in ensuring Ukraine’s resilience in the face of Russian attacks, and in supporting the country’s recovery and EU integration.
The meeting – the IV International Summit of Cities and Regions – took place just hours after one of the largest Russian attacks of the war. Opening the summit, held under the motto “Partnership. Resilience. Preparedness”, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the honorary distinction of Rescuer City to several cities, including Gdańsk, which will host the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) on 25-26 June.
Representing both the URC host city and the European Committee of the Regions, the Mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz (PL/EPP), stressed the importance of partnerships between municipalities and regions, emphasising that resilience is built on trust. “Resilience is not merely the ability to withstand a blow; it is the capacity to rebuild ourselves in such a way that the next blow cannot stop us. The success of this transformation rests entirely on trust — trust between central and local government, trust between the state and its citizens, and trust between Ukraine and its European partners.”
The summit in Kyiv marked an important political and operational milestone ahead of URC 2026, bringing together senior representatives of the Ukrainian government, members of parliament, ministers, mayors, regional leaders and international partners. Discussions focused on how cities and regions can contribute to Ukraine’s recovery, strengthen life-support systems, reinforce territorial security, improve energy resilience and support veterans’ rehabilitation and reintegration.
In the panel on the resilience of life-support systems, in which Aleksandra Dulkiewicz participated, the discussion focused on how Ukraine’s recovery should move from emergency response to systemic transformation rooted in multi-level governance, trust and a clear division of responsibilities between central and local authorities. Participants underlined that local and regional authorities are best placed to identify vulnerabilities in essential services such as water, heating and transport, and that reconstruction should follow a resilient-by-design approach based on decentralised infrastructure, green and digital solutions, transparent and fair access to funding, and stronger citizen participation. The debate also stressed that Ukraine’s local resilience is a shared European asset and that partnerships between cities and regions are key both for reconstruction and for Europe’s own preparedness.
The summit concluded with the signing of international territorial cooperation agreements and the adoption of a declaration setting out shared ambitions for partnership, resilience and preparedness. It reaffirmed that local and regional authorities must be fully involved in shaping recovery priorities, implementing reforms and building the partnerships needed for Ukraine’s long-term resilience and future in Europe. For the European Committee of the Regions, these priorities remain central to ensuring that Ukraine’s reconstruction is inclusive, place-based and anchored in democratic local self-government.
Photo : © European Union / Vladyslav Musiienko