European Political Community summit opens with a focus on Ukraine

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala opened the first summit of the new European Political Community in Prague on Thursday with a call to "confront the evil" of Russia's "unjust aggression" in Ukraine. 

"Russia is not open to negotiate, it is only open to conquer new territories," the conservative said in his opening address to the summit of 44 European leaders in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle, the seat of the Czech Republic's presidency. 

"The truth will prevail in the end and Ukraine will win in the end. In the meantime, Ukraine needs all our support," he added. 

Fiala, whose government is presiding over the European Union (EU) this semester, stressed that the fraudulent referendums held in Ukraine, which have served Russia to legitimise the annexation of four new regions, "cannot be taken seriously". 

"We are here to discuss solutions, because Ukraine is suffering from a war of aggression, and this unjust aggression continues," the Czech Prime Minister stressed. 

The then Czechoslovakia (today's Czech Republic and Slovakia) witnessed an occupation by Soviet troops in August 1968. 

Then "our efforts for more freedom were destroyed: this is our experience with Moscow", Fiala recalled of his own country's traumatic past.

The new European forum, of which neither Russia nor its ally Belarus is a member, seeks to promote political dialogue and cooperation in order to strengthen security, stability and prosperity on the European continent. 

"There will be no official resolutions today, because what we are looking for is an honest debate on the challenges we face," Fiala said, pointing to inflation and high energy prices and illegal immigration. 

"The whole of Europe is coming together today to discuss how we can restore peace and prosperity for all," the Czech Prime Minister concluded.