European Council President Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Theresa May met on Thursday, April 6, at the prime minister’s residence at Number 10 Downing Street in London.
May and Tusk are on opposite sides of the ongoing Brexit negotiations. Neither are directly negotiating; both are providing guidance to the opposite sides.
Britain wants parallel trade and Brexit negotiations. This would allow Britain to leverage gains and threats made on one topic to the other. By widening the range of negotiating options, Britain could hope to strike a better deal on both topics.
The EU is firm that Brexit terms must be settled before any discussion of a free-trade agreement. Of prime concern are the well-being of EU residents living in the UK and making sure Britain meets all the financial obligations it undertook while in the EU.
