Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

EU downplays Boris Johnson Ukraine summit snub

EU leaders have invited Joe Biden but not Boris Johnson to join them despite him being in town

Jon Stone
Brussels
Wednesday 23 March 2022 12:29 EDT
Comments
Boris Johnson will not take part in the second meeting at the gathering of world leaders
Boris Johnson will not take part in the second meeting at the gathering of world leaders (REUTERS)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

EU officials have downplayed an apparent snub to Boris Johnson at top-level summit in Brussels this week.

Mr Johnson will arrive in the Belgian capital on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine with other presidents and prime ministers at a Nato gathering.

But he has been excluded from another meeting in the same city on the same day that most leaders will also attend.

EU presidents and prime ministers decided to invite US president Joe Biden to join them at a European Council meeting on the same day as the Nato summit – and leaders are expected to cross the city and continue to discussions at another venue.

But despite reports that Mr Johnson wanted to attend the meeting, he was not invited and will miss the second part of the major international gathering.

The lack of an invitation raised speculation that the prime minister's comments over the weekend comparing the war in Ukraine to Brexit played a role in the snub.

The prime minister's words sparked fury in Brussels and other EU capitals, with former Council president Donald Tusk branding them "offensive" to Ukrainians, British people, and even "common sense".

Officials in Brussels are however downplaying any link between what Mr Johnson said and the lack of an invitation.

A senior EU official noted that European Council president Charles Michel had had "a long phone call with prime minister Johnson on Monday" and that this took place after Mr Johnson's remarks.

The official said Mr Johnson would have another opportunity to meet EU chiefs at a meeting of G7 leaders.

"The feeling was that we invite the President of the United States to the European Council, but we are not repeating the formats that we have had around the day," the official added.

Britain was automatically allowed to attend the European Council as a member of the EU, but no longer has a seat on the body, which meets four times a lead in the Belgian capital.

The summit was the cite of major Brexit drama during divorce negotiations, and is a forum for discussing issues of continental importance at the level of national leaders.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in