Russia will lose when our peace formula prevails: Zelensky tells summit

Kiev: Virtually addressing the first meeting of a new political club of nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said for Russia to lose its ongoing war against Kiev, "we must implement our peace formula".

On Thursday, leaders from the European Union (EU), the UK, Turkey, Norway and the Balkans met at the first European Political Community in Prague, during which they discussed energy, migration and security, with a particular focus on the war in Ukraine.

Congratulating on the formation of the Community, the President said that due to this initiative, "we have received not just another format of cooperation in Europe, but an extremely powerful opportunity to restore peace in Europe", according to a statement issued by Zelensky's office.

"We are now in a strong position to direct all possible powers of Europe to end the war and guarantee long-term peace, for Ukraine, for Europe, for the world.

"Ukraine never wanted this war. Ukraine did nothing to provoke it. Ukraine has always been a leader in peaceful settlement," Zelensky stressed.

The Ukrainian leader accused Russia of making "attempts on people in various European countries", as well as "sabotage in Europe -- against warehouses with weapons, against factories, and now against gas pipelines".

"Russia intimidates and blackmails for the world to stop helping those it kills. It uses everything from the food crisis to radiation blackmail, from destabilising energy markets to nuclear blackmail.

"All in order to break the unity of allies and partners, to intimidate nations, to make millions of people afraid and on the basis of this fear, to give in," the statement quoted the President as saying.

He went on to say that Russia wants to "redraw borders", adding that "Ukraine is only the first battlefield this state has entered. And it is in Ukraine that it is necessary to defeat it".

"We must implement our peace formula. I presented it in my speech at the UN General Assembly. It must be fully implemented."

According to Zelensky, the items of the peace formula includes punishing the aggressor; increase sanctions against Russia; stop any cooperation with Russia and its companies; exclude it from all international organisations or at least suspend its membership; and its ability to distort the activities of international institutions, among others.

"In 225 days of full-scale war, we have all already shown that Europe can influence the issues of war and peace. But now, all together, we must ensure that the formula for war is completely blocked and the formula for peace is fully implemented."