Boris Johnson travels to Brussels for dinner with Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday as both sides seek to save Brexit trade negotiations.
European leaders are lining up in support of the European Union Commission president while back in London, the U.K. prime minister offered an olive branch by agreeing on a detailed deal on Northern Ireland even as many of the old sticking points remain.
Time is running out. If a trade deal isn’t struck by the end of year the U.K. faces tariffs on exports to the bloc among many other damaging disruptions.
The stakes could not be higher. The EU is determined to hold a united front and prevent Johnson from getting face time with other national leaders. For the U.K., it’s a question of principle and showing that the unprecedented step of quitting the EU was worthwhile after years of angst.
“You’ve got to be optimistic, you’ve got to believe there’s the power of sweet reason to get this thing over the line,” Johnson said. “But I’ve got to tell you it’s looking very, very difficult at the moment.”
The U.K. believes that if some progress can be made at a political level, it could allow chief negotiator David Frost and his team to resume negotiations in the coming days. One U.K. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, spelled out that some political impetus is now needed.