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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Editorial

The Guardian view on Boris Johnson in Brussels: drop the Brexit rhetoric

An informal meeting of EU heads of state at Versailles this month.
A meeting of EU heads of state at Versailles this month. ‘Boris Johnson has no one but himself to blame if decisions are made that he would have opposed had he been at the table.’ Photograph: Press Office Chigi’Palace/Filipp/Ansa/Zuma Press/Rex/Shutterstock

Boris Johnson cannot complain about the lack of an invitation to the European summit that begins on Thursday when his foreign policy is founded on a belief that such gatherings are not worth attending.

It is true that Brexit doesn’t prevent the prime minister taking an active role in supporting Ukraine against Kremlin aggression. British military hardware is appreciated on the frontline. Mr Johnson can be in the loop of western diplomacy without a seat at the EU table. He will also be attending a Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday. In the Brexiter view, UK interests in Europe can be managed through the North Atlantic alliance and bilateral conversations with continental leaders.

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