Donald Tusk sets 10-day deadline for UK to break Brexit talks deadlock
2 min read
Donald Tusk has given Britain until the start of December to iron out unresolved issues around money and the Irish border if talks are to progress to future trade relations.
The European Council President met with Theresa May in Brussels today, but later insisted that initial key issues must be sorted before EU leaders meet on 14 December.
In a tweet this afternoon, Mr Tusk said reaching agreement in time for the summit would prove a "huge challenge", but that it is "possible."
Following the talks the Prime Minister said there were "still issues across the various matters that we're negotiating on to be resolved."
But she added that there had been a "very positive atmosphere" and a "genuine feeling that we want to move forward together."
Arriving at the bloc’s headquarters earlier, Mrs May, who is reportedly prepared to up the offer made on the divorce bill to around £40bn said both sides "must step forward together".
UK Ministers are understood to have given her their backing to increase the "divorce bill" but only if the EU offers flexibility on trade.
The Prime Minister is in Brussels for an Eastern Partnership summit, with leaders due to discuss moves to protect former Soviet bloc countries from the threat of Russian aggression.
Mrs May said the rest of Europe must be “open-eyed” about the threat posed by Moscow – weeks after she said the actions of the Kremlin "threaten the international order on which we all depend”.
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