The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said today in London that the Brexit negotiations have not yet made sufficient progress to move to the second phase of talks on future relations, as Great Britain would like.
Tusk said he was "cautiously optimistic" about progress in negotiations on the terms of Britain's exit from the European Union.
"There is not enough progress yet, but we will work on it," Tusk said after a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in her Downing Street office as the fourth round of Brexit talks took place in Brussels.
Tusk expressed his belief that London has finally abandoned the unrealistic approach to exiting the EU, which implies that it has "both the goat and the money".
Britain wants to discuss its future relationship with Brussels, but EU officials want to first get assurances about London's large financial obligations to the EU, the rights of EU and UK citizens after Brexit and the status of the border with Ireland.
On Friday, May proposed a two-year transition period, hoping that her proposal that the UK abide by EU rules and pay into its budget for two years after leaving in March 2019 will persuade EU officials to discuss not only the terms of the exit but also future trade and security relations.
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