Kyiv, 26 May 2026 – The 4th International Summit of Cities and Regions brought together over 100 local and regional governments from across Europe in Kyiv, reaffirming the commitment of local authorities to stand alongside Ukraine despite the ongoing conflict. The summit represents a key moment for local and regional governance, offering a platform for solidarity, partnership, and concrete cooperation.
The determination of all participants was particularly significant given the circumstances: the day before the summit, a major attack struck the centre of Kyiv, and Russian threats to evacuate the city were in circulation. Despite this, not a single delegation departed.
The Summit
Organised within the framework of the national project Shoulder to Shoulder: Cohesive Communities, the Summit saw ALDA as an active partner in driving the initiative forward. In close coordination with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, ALDA took on a facilitating role, guiding European municipalities through the process of establishing meaningful, lasting ties with Ukrainian counterparts. The occasion served as a concrete expression of how decentralised cooperation and territorial solidarity can become structural pillars of Ukraine’s reconstruction process.
Partnership signatures: building concrete cooperation
Among the most tangible outcomes of ALDA’s involvement was the preparation and signing of two Letters of Intent with the Italian delegation it accompanied. The Municipality of Bergamo formalised a cooperation framework with the cities of Chernivtsi and Zaporizhzhia, while the Municipality of Bonate Sopra entered into partnership with the Zolochiv community in the Kharkiv region and its namesake community in the Lviv region. Both agreements are oriented toward shared work in areas including local governance, community reconstruction, social cohesion, and the mutual exchange of administrative expertise.
These signatures build on groundwork already laid earlier in the year. In April, ALDA had supported a previous round of partnership agreements in Kyiv, bringing together the Municipality of Cubelles from Spain and the Italian municipalities of Thiene and Zugliano with several Ukrainian communities. These efforts represent a growing network of municipal diplomacy in which ALDA serves as a bridge between European and Ukrainian local authorities.
Strengthening institutional ties
The summit also provided an important opportunity to strengthen institutional ties. ALDA was accompanied by two prominent member organisations: Region Grand Est and Christian Debève, member of ALDA and partner of the Local Democracy Agency (LDA) Kharkiv. Patrick Molinoz also attended, representing both the European Committee of the Regions and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in connection with the LDA Vinnytsia partnership. On the institutional front, ALDA further deepened its cooperation with the Congress of the Council of Europe through a meeting with Mathieu Mori, building on the recent renewal of the cooperation agreement between the two organisations. The Italian delegations also had the opportunity to meet with Minister Oleksii Kuleba, organiser of the summit.
Finally, the Summit celebrated the outstanding commitment of Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk, who received an award from President Volodymyr Zelensky in recognition of her city’s support for Ukraine. The City of Gdańsk is also set to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2026.
