UK Refuses to Pay EU More Than Needed Under Brexit Bill

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that the United Kingdom was not preparing for a "no deal" outcome, as London is confident it will get a good deal. The foreign secretary also said that the amount of money the European Union could potentially demand from the United Kingdom, as a kind of Brexit divorce payment, was "extortionate."

"We know that we have rights and obligations and we are testing the European Union’s claims. But we won’t pay a penny more then we need to. We are not going to put a figure on it today. It is matter for negotiation," Baker said in an interview to Sky News broadcaster, explaining the earlier remarks of the UK foreign secretary.

In February, former UK Ambassador to the European Union Sir Ivan Rogers said the United Kingdom could face a bill of 40-60 billion euros ($45-68 billion) in financial obligations due to its departure from the European Union. However, Brussels has not submitted its final demand yet.

Brexit negotiations officially started on June 19, when UK Brexit Secretary David Davis arrived in Brussels to negotiate the terms with EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier. The talks are expected to concluded by the end of March 2019.