U_CAN on the International Stage: REBIRTH OF UKRAINE Trade Mission to Finland and the Baltic Countries

From 6 to 14 May 2026, Yuliya Chufistova, member of the Presidium of the Mayors' Club Ukraine, represented the U_CAN project during the REBIRTH OF UKRAINE trade mission to Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – a delegation of 31 representatives of Ukrainian municipalities and businesses.

Helsinki: presenting U_CAN to European partners

The centrepiece of the mission was Yuliya Chufistova's pitch at the UA-FI Economic Recovery Business Forum in Helsinki, attended by around 300 participants from Ukraine and Finland. The presentation focused on U_CAN's mission to support Ukrainian cities on their path to climate neutrality by 2050 and introduced the six pilot cities as distinct models of climate transition – from Lviv's positive energy districts and Zhytomyr's floating solar plant to Vinnytsia's river restoration and Kyiv's transport decarbonisation. The Finnish part also included visits to Helsinki's municipal energy company Helen Oy and the Vantaa Energia Waste-to-Energy Plant, offering the delegation first-hand insight into the Nordic model of sustainable development.

The Baltic Countries: building new partnerships

In Estonia, the delegation met with the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities. In Latvia, U_CAN was presented to businesses, municipal stakeholders, and development institutions, with a notable meeting with the director of the Riga City Council, a city working toward becoming the first climate-neutral city in the Baltic Countries. In Lithuania, the delegation visited Vilnius municipal companies with direct relevance to U_CAN pilot cities, including Gijos, which operates a €10 million green hydrogen plant and is investing in one of Lithuania's largest AI-based electricity storage projects.

The trade mission demonstrated that U_CAN is already positioned as a key platform for engagement between Ukrainian cities and European institutions, connecting pilot cities with potential partners and peers at a critical moment for Ukraine's green recovery. These presentations were carried out by the Mayors' Club Ukraine under Task 7.3 of the U_CAN project, fostering peer-to-peer cooperation between Ukrainian and European cities and promoting the project's climate initiatives through international investment roadshows.