STORY: "This is not about moving closer to Europe. This is about working with Europe on issues that we both face. And we both face rising energy costs," Truss said in response to a question from a reporter.

The British PM went on to blame Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine for rising energy costs, adding that Britain was working with European countries to boost renewable and nuclear energy. Challenged with reports of possible electricity shortages in the UK this winter, Truss said she was "working very hard" on energy security.

The European Union and its neighbors from Britain to Turkey met on Thursday in the Czech Republic for the gathering. Britain is the only nation to ever leave the EU.