Europe's new 44-nation club underlines Russia's isolation

European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a news conference during a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium June 24, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

PRAGUE (Reuters) -Leaders of the European Union and neighbours from Britain to Turkey met on Thursday to discuss security and energy emergencies plaguing them all since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a symbolic summit that underlined Moscow's isolation.

The gathering in Prague was the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), a brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, bringing together on an equal footing the EU's 27 member states and 17 other European countries.