MOSCOW (Sputnik) — EU Council President Donald Tusk received a formal letter from UK Prime Minister Theresa May earlier on Wednesday, whereby he was notified about UK’s decision to leave the bloc, starting a two-year countdown to the departure.
"Nine long months of waiting are over. It is good that the impasse has finally ended and the talks can soon begin," Gabriel said in a statement.
He emphasized Brussels and London needed to stay friends after their "divorce" but promised the remaining 27 member states would rally behind their chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, to uphold their shared interests in talks with the United Kingdom.
This will be the position that, Gabriel said, he plans to get across during his official visit to London early next week, the first UK visit since he assumed office.
