Chełm
Cooperation between Kamianets-Podilskyi and Chełm represents a new yet promising direction in international partnership, which has been actively developing since 2025. Official partner relations between the cities were established on March 15, 2025, with the signing of a partnership agreement. The main areas of collaboration defined by the parties include the reconstruction of Ukraine, education, securing European funding, cross-border cooperation, culture, and humanitarian engagement.
A key feature of this partnership is Chełm’s geographical proximity to Ukraine and its extensive experience in supporting Ukrainians following the onset of the full-scale war. For its support of Ukraine, Chełm was awarded the "Rescue City" title by the President of Ukraine, which became a powerful symbol of the Polish community's solidarity with Ukraine.
Establishment of Partnership Relations
Official partnership between the cities was established in 2025. The cooperation agreement provided the foundation for transitioning from individual contacts to systematic interaction between the municipalities.
During the establishment of the partnership, the parties identified a range of practical areas, including the reconstruction of Ukraine, education, European grant programs, cross-border cooperation, and cultural exchanges. The gradual implementation of projects combining both humanitarian and economic components is also envisioned.
The signing of the agreement took place with the assistance of the Consulate General of Ukraine in Lublin, underscoring the importance of this new partnership at the level of Polish-Ukrainian interregional cooperation.
Visit of the Kamianets-Podilskyi Delegation to Chełm in 2025
Practical development of the new partnership continued in July 2025, when a delegation from Kamianets-Podilskyi visited Chełm as part of the City Day celebrations.
During the visit, the Ukrainian delegation took part in city events, presented cultural and urban projects, and held a meeting with the President of Chełm, Jakub Banaszek. Special attention was paid to youth and cultural initiatives.
This visit became one of the first practical steps following the official establishment of the partnership and demonstrated the readiness of both parties to transition toward concrete joint initiatives.
Cultural and Youth Cooperation
Cultural exchange holds an important place in the partnership. The agreements provide for organizing joint cultural events as well as exchanges between creative and sports ensembles.
A practical example of such interaction occurred in May 2025, when the "Zhuravlyk" Folk Children's and Youth Choir Chapel from Kamianets-Podilskyi traveled to Poland and performed, among other places, in Chełm. For Kamianets-Podilskyi, this presented an opportunity to showcase the Ukrainian choral tradition to the Polish audience and to foster cultural ties between the cities.
Thus, cultural cooperation aims not only at hosting individual events, but also at establishing direct contacts between creative groups and the youth of both communities.
Humanitarian and Social Dimension
The partnership has an important humanitarian and social dimension. Chełm was one of the Polish cities that actively supported Ukrainians following the outbreak of the full-scale war, in particular by providing assistance to people who were forced to leave their homes due to Russian aggression. In recognition of its significant contribution to supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, the city of Chełm was awarded the honorary distinction “City-Saviour”, which was presented to the city’s representatives by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The partnership between Kamianets-Podilskyi and Chełm is an important area for the development of the city community’s international relations. Since the beginning of their official cooperation, the two cities have been developing contacts in various areas, including culture, education, youth policy, and intermunicipal exchanges.
Mutual visits, participation in city events, and the establishment of new professional contacts contribute to deepening mutual understanding between the communities and building long-term partnership relations. At the same time, the cooperation creates opportunities for further implementation of joint initiatives and engagement with international partners.
In view of this, the partnership between Kamianets-Podilskyi and Chełm has strong potential for further development and expansion of practical cooperation between the communities.