Germany's Merkel to meet Boris Johnson 'very, very soon'

[nitpicker]

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-merkel-to-meet-boris-johnson-very-very-soon/a-50057694

Germany's Merkel to meet Boris Johnson 'very, very soon'

Date 16.08.2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel would like to meet UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson "very, very soon" for one-on-one Brexit talks, her spokesman said in Berlin on Friday. Steffen Seibert added that a meeting was planned "in the very near future," but he did not specify the date.

Commenting on the possibility of a no-deal Brexit on Friday, Seibert said that a deal would be "preferable from every viewpoint." At the same time, he told reporters, the German government is still preparing for the no-deal option.

Also on Friday, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz hosted his British counterpart, Sajid Javid, in Berlin. After the meeting, Scholz tweeted that the remaining 27 EU members stood "united" and were "ready for all scenarios."

The previous day, the Handelsblatt business daily reported on a document allegedly leaked from Germany's Finance Ministry, which said that Berlin had "largely completed" its preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

The paper also said there was a "high probability" of the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement in place. It was unlikely that Boris Johnson would change his "tough negotiating position," according to the official document cited by Handelsblatt.
(snip)

[OnDoutside]

1. Be nice to people on the way up, because you might meet them

again on the way down. After years of anti-EU bashing by Johnson, I find it hard to believe that EU leadership are going to do anything to help Johnson along.