Johnson, Tusk Discuss Brexit, Foreign Policy Issues

The British prime minister met the head of the European Council on Sunday to discuss the U.K.'s exit from the EU.

"Today I met @eucopresident Donald Tusk at the #G7 summit. We discussed the UK's exit from the EU and foreign policy issues," Boris Johnson said on Twitter about his meeting with Donald Tusk on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.

According to a statement from Johnson's office, he told Tusk that the U.K. would be leaving the EU on Oct. 31, "whatever the circumstances".

Johnson also said the U.K. would prefer to leave with a deal but that the current withdrawal agreement would not get through Parliament.

He termed the deal as "anti-democratic", according to the statement.

"The people of Northern Ireland would have no say in rules covering large swathes of their economy and it would actually be harder for us to exit the new arrangement than it is to leave the EU itself," Johnson said.

He added that London would work in an "energetic and determined" way to get a better deal and is "very willing" to talk with the EU.

On Saturday, Tusk said the EU was always open to cooperation, adding: "The one thing I will not cooperate on is no deal. And I still hope that PM Johnson will not like to go down in history as Mr No Deal."

Johnson has repeatedly stated that he would take the U.K. out of the EU by Oct. 31 with no exceptions and that although he was confident in negotiating a deal with Brussels, he was also making preparations for a no-deal Brexit. -