Ukraine, Britain, and Turkey’s leaders will join their EU counterparts on Thursday for the inaugural summit of the “European Political Community,” aimed at uniting the continent in the face of Russian aggression.
The meeting in Prague, the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, has been billed by Brussels as a “platform for political coordination” for the 44 nations that will be present.
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However, there are so many disagreements and even open conflict among some of the participants of the meeting, as well as scepticism that the one-day event will be nothing more than a photo op.
Meanwhile, leaders from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland are also scheduled to meet in the historic Prague Castle.
Russia was not invited to be a part of the meeting. It is also expected that the discussion will focus on Russia’s activities with Ukraine and on the economic and security ramifications of its war against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is currently in charge of a counter-offensive against Moscow’s forces, will participate via video link from Kyiv. His prime minister will represent him at the meeting.
It is respected that British Prime Minister Liz Truss will tell the gathering of leaders that “Europe is facing its biggest crisis since the Second World War. And we have faced it together with unity and resolve.
“We must continue to stand firm, to ensure that Ukraine wins this war, but also to deal with the strategic challenges that it has exposed.”
Emmanuel Macron’s France is looking forward to identifying potential areas of cooperation among leaders to protect critical European infrastructures such as pipelines, cybersecurity, and energy supplies.
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Meanwhile, European Union officials are expecting to agree to hold a follow-up gathering of the community in a country outside the EU in six months, with Britain and Moldova both offering to host.
Analysts are sceptical about the benefit of the meeting, but what is clear is that leaders are expected to hold bilateral talks as a side activity.
