European leaders show ‘unity’ in face of Russia’s war

Leaders from across Europe met Thursday in Prague for the inaugural summit of a new forum aimed at bringing the continent together in the face of Russia’s aggression, with Ukraine’s president urging more support for Kyiv.

The first gathering of the “European Political Community” at the grand Prague Castle complex brought together a disparate grouping of 44 nations from the Caucasus in the southeast to Iceland in the northwest.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was not invited, loomed over the meeting as discussions focused on the economic and security turmoil sparked by his invasion of Ukraine.

“We displayed the unity of 44 European countries which as 44 very clearly expressed their condemnation of Russia’s war and their support for Ukraine,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The experimental format — a brainchild of Macron — was billed as a “new platform for political coordination”, but there were few concrete outcomes beyond a photo of the assembled leaders.

“If you just look at the attendance here, you see the importance,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

“The whole European continent is here, except two countries, Belarus and Russia. So it shows how isolated those two countries are.”

Moldova would host the next edition of the summit in spring, followed by Spain and Britain.

Much of the action from the summit happened on the sidelines as leaders grabbed bilateral meetings with their counterparts.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss called Macron a “friend” — far warmer words than she used during her bid for the top job when she said the “jury’s out” on the French leader.

“I do hope this is a new phase of our common relations, and this is the beginning of the day after,” Macron responded.

But divisions among European Union leaders over capping gas prices and national rescue packages resurfaced yesterday, with Poland accusing Germany of “selfishness” in its response to a winter energy crunch caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

With EU gas storages 90% full, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was well prepared for winter.