European Union leaders’ summit meeting in Brussels, held on the heels of Brexit referendum proved to be the most tense in the whole history of 28-member block, struggling to preserve its unity and to work out a deal with one of its members which has decided not to be the part of what was once described as a great European family of nations.
While European leaders pressed the UK government hard to start negotiations on Britain’s departure hinting that a long period of uncertainty will only harm the union, outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron argued that the deal should be clinched only by his successor.
As result of grueling negotiating process embattled Cameron reluctantly agreed to accelerate the divorce process by shifting the date of selecting the new British leader in September rather than October. However, European leaders made themselves clear that the relations with Britain had already passed the point of no return and there will be no more “business as usual”.
Vladimir Sotnikov, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies and analysis “Russia-East-West” (studio guest); Sergei Utkin, Head of Department of Strategic Assessment, Center for Situation Analysis, Russian Academy of Sciences (studio guest); and Pedro Jimenez, lecturer at Caen University in France joined us to discuss the issue.