European cities are ready to work alongside their peers in Ukraine’s cities and municipalities to support their recovery and accelerate their journey to climate neutrality.
As Russia’s war in Ukraine moves well into its fourth year, city governments in Ukraine have faced immense challenges with resilience and courage.
However, they are not just surviving, they are rebuilding and laying the foundations for the future. This includes rethinking urban planning and setting the groundwork for a sustainable, climate-neutral future.
From their side, European cities are not only offering solidarity to their Ukrainian neighbours but stand ready to share knowledge and experience in sustainable urban development.
This message was conveyed at the high-profile EU Cities Mission Conference in Vilnius last week, where cities involved in the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission gathered to share achievements and experiences and meet with EU officials and international partners.
Call for Mission Cities, a new partnership for climate neutrality
Among the conference’s key participants was the EU-funded SUN4Ukraine project, with Eurocities as a coordinator. SUN4Ukraine supports Ukrainian cities in aligning their recovery plans with their climate neutrality goals in association with the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission.
At the conference, SUN4Ukraine launched a call for European Mission Cities to join the project’s Partnership Programme, pairing them with Ukrainian municipalities to drive their joint climate neutrality efforts.
Running from October 2025 to April 2027, the programme will focus on knowledge exchange, peer learning and innovation. Twelve Ukrainian flagship municipalities have already been selected to take part.
Several of these municipalities’ leaders attended the event to urge Mission Cities to join the programme, which remains open for expressions of interest until 20 June.
SUN4Ukraine generated strong momentum at the conference, taking part in meaningful discussions with Mission Cities representatives and other potential partners.
Speaking at the conference, Borys Karpus, Mayor of Novovolynsk, captured the spirit of the initiative. “We aim to show that Ukraine is committed to change and implementing climate adaptation solutions,” he stated.
“The SUN4Ukraine project is not just about climate change adaptation, it’s about people and their efforts to create a climate-friendly future.”
Building bridges across Europe
The conference’s main plenary showcased how cities are joining forces across borders to deliver the EU’s climate goals, with an emphasis on solidarity, collaboration, and shared ambition.
A standout moment was the participation of Ukrainian municipalities Novovolynsk and Zviahel. Their representatives powerfully illustrated how post-war recovery can be paired with climate leadership.
Borys Karpus, Mayor of Novovolynsk, described his city’s transition from coal dependency to a sustainable future, driven by infrastructure modernisation, renewable energy, and a new city council unit dedicated to climate neutrality.
Iryna Hudz, Deputy Mayor of Zviahel, shared how her city is scaling up renewable energy and energy efficiency, even amid the war. “These are not just technological changes,” she explained. “They are a strategic step towards making the municipality energy independent and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Their testimonies were echoed by voices from across Europe. Hallstein Bjercke, Vice-Mayor for Finance of Oslo, stressed the role of climate finance and procurement, calling it “a sleeping giant in the climate transition that we must wake up.”
Olga Kordas, Programme Director at Viable Cities in Sweden, made a powerful case for mutual benefit: “Can you imagine any better cities than Ukrainian cities to share their experiences of resilience?”
Cross border cooperation for climate neutrality
A dedicated breakout session explored how Ukrainian and Mission Cities are collaborating to overcome shared climate challenges. The municipalities of Chernihiv, Chernivtsi and Vinnytsia took centre stage to demonstrate how climate neutrality is becoming a core pillar of their recovery.
Officially welcoming Ukrainian cities into the Cities Mission community, Philippe Froissard, Deputy Mission Manager at the European Commission, stated that cross-border cooperation is essential to addressing today’s interconnected crises.
Nataliia Kholchenkova, Head of International Relations and Investments at Chernihiv City Council, underlined the power of local partnerships.
“We can’t choose neighbours, but we can choose partners and friends. And in this time of war, when our city has suffered massive destruction, it is our partners that have helped us not only to survive, but to continue planning for a better future,” she explained.
“We are rebuilding not just buildings, but trust, values, and systems that will allow us to be stronger and greener. Climate neutrality for us is not something distant or abstract, it is part of our recovery and our strategy to build resilience at every level.
Serhii Bostan, Director of Social and Economic Development and Strategic Planning at Chernivtsi City Council, drew attention to the environmental impact of war.
He stated, “Nature has no borders. The war in Ukraine threatens the ecosystem of all European countries. Only together we’ll be able to defend our European lifestyles, our values, freedom, and the European future.”
Meanwhile, Yevheniia Shtelmakh, Head of the Accessibility Unit at Vinnytsia City Council, shared how the city had delivered energy efficiency measures at speed, gaining new insights into the value of renewables and decentralised systems under pressure.
Presenting the position of European Mission Cities, Regine Kramer from the City of Dresden and Nadja Riedel, Deputy Head of the Smart City Unit in Leipzig, reflected on their partnerships with Ukrainian cities, praising the strength of city-to-city cooperation and the trust built through shared goals.
The session concluded with an invitation to Mission Cities to join the SUN4Ukraine Partnership Programme. The message was clear: Ukrainian cities are not just recipients of support, they are shaping Europe’s climate transition.
Resilience in action, Ukrainian cities take the lead
In one of the most spontaneous and energising moments of the conference, Ukrainian city representatives took over an open breakout session to lead a powerful discussion on resilience and recovery.
Organised by Climate-KIC, this workshop gathered participants from cities such as Oslo and Amsterdam as well as delegates from SUN4Ukraine’s 12 Flagship Municipalities.
Discussions focused on urgent challenges such as gaps between wartime and peacetime governance, staffing shortages and “decentralisation of everything that can be decentralised” as a key instrument for resilience of the cities in extraordinary circumstances.
The tone was open, urgent, and solution focused. As one Ukrainian participant put it: “Even in crisis, we want to build a better future, not just rebuild the past.”
Laying the groundwork for SUN4Ukraine support
A final highlight of the week was SUN4Ukraine’s first in-person workshop with the 12 Flagship Municipalities. Held on 9 May, the half-day session marked the launch of tailored capacity-building support and technical assistance.
Participants explored four key areas: technical assistance, training and capacity building, peer exchange and twinning, and support for multilevel governance. Cities shared their insights and feedback the project will use in shaping activities of the next phases of the project. Meanwhile, SUN4Ukraine presented its Support Expertise Fund and Helpdesk as additional assistance available to the Flagship Municipalities.
Feedback was positive, with significant engagement for the Ukrainian municipalities and clear momentum. Many city representatives expressed their eagerness to push forward with concrete projects and deeper partnerships across borders.
The session laid a solid foundation for collaboration, innovation, and climate resilience — and affirmed the growing leadership of Ukrainian cities in Europe’s shared green transition.
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European Mission Cities interested in joining the SUN4Ukraine Partnership Programme can find more information here.
Interested Mission Cities must fill in this Expression of Interest form by 20 June 2025.
