France warns UK premier of tough time ahead in Brexit talks
BRUSSELS — France warned Britain at the start of a European Union summit on Thursday that it would face a tough, unyielding opponent if it sought too many concessions during its negotiations to leave the 28-nation EU.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, who was attending her first EU summit as leader, was expected to brief her European counterparts on the way ahead for Britain’s exit from the trade bloc. Many uncertainties about the divorce remain because Britain has yet to trigger the two-year negotiations for “Brexit” — and is unlikely to do so until the end of March.
“It’s in the interests of the U.K. and the EU that we continue to work closely together, including at this summit,” May said.
French President Francois Hollande immediately insisted that the EU would not surrender the bloc’s core values just to keep Britain close as a future ally.